The Springtime of Youth: Rock Lee Love Story
by AshleyKazekage
Summary: Just another Rock Lee love story I wrote ages ago, enjoy
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

It's night, and a cold one at that. You and your teammates are returning to Konoha from completing a mission. You are shivering.  
>"Mari, I did say it might get cold.." Yutaka mentions.<br>"Shush. Don't nag at me." You say, rubbing your hands together. You look at Tamotsu, he was also shivering, after all, his shirt isn't that big. "Tam, you're going to get sick."  
>"No.. I.. Wont." He says in a shiver.<br>".. Yeah, you will, just look at you, your chest and back it getting cold. It's not a good thing." You say. Tamotsu sighs.  
>"Look there's the gates of Konoha, go home and get warm." Madoka-sensei says. We nod and run into the village. You and Yutaka live in the same street so you walk home together.<p>

"Say, Mari, um.. What do you plan on doing tomorrow?"  
>"I dunno.. Why do you ask?"<br>"No reason." Yutaka's eyes wonder.  
>"... Okay.." You stop at your house. "Well, goodnight." You say and walk in. You notice the fireplace was still lit. Your mother must've forgot to extinguish it. But this was good luck for you. You sit straight in front of it and warm up. '<em>Next mission I'm wearing something warmer than my t-shirt.<em>'

_~_~_~ [Yutaka's POV:] ~_~_~_

'_I just can't bring myself to tell Mari how I feel about her.. i know she'll reject me for sure.. It's because I'm such a coward.._' I stop at my front door. I look up and see a spider dangling from the door frame. I squeak and jump back. '_I'm even petrified of spiders._' I walk back up to the door and open it, trying not to disrupt the spider. I go inside and go straight to bed.

**.:The Next Morning:.**

_~_~_~ [Your POV:] ~_~_~_

You wake up, bright and early, and full of energy. You could smell your mom cooking breakfast. You get dressed and go down stairs.  
>"Morning mom." You say, taking the plate she was preparing.<br>"Oh, morning Mari.. That's mine." She says.  
>"Yeah, looks nice, thanks." You say and sit down to start eating. You mom sighs.<br>"What would I do without you?" She laughs.  
>"Well nothing interesting, that's for sure." You joke. She turns to you and puts her hands on her hips and gives you a glare. You completely ignore it and eat.<br>"So, what are you getting up to today?" She asks.  
>"Probably training." You say with your mouth full. You mom gives you that look as if to say 'swallow before you speak'. You nod and keep eating. Your mom prepares her plate and sits down with you.<br>"Mari, all you ever do is train, why don't you go out with your friends and have some fun? Ever since that Uchiha incident all you've done is train." Your mom says.  
>"Can you not bring that up quite so early?" You say.<br>"Oh, sorry dear."  
>"It's okay." You finish eating and rinse your plate. "Well, I'm off."<br>"Okay, have a nice day." She says. You nod and leave.

As you walk down the street you stare at the ground feeling kind of depressed. '_Mom, why did you have to remind me?_' You see, you had a best friend who was an Uchiha. You two did everything together, you were practically in-seperatable. You shared the same interests and hobbies. you would train together too, but rarely often. Her name was Reina Uchiha. Since the night of the Uchiha massacre by Itachi Uchiha you have never been the same. You never liked training back then but now, it's all you dedicate yourself to.

So you head to the dojo. Upon entering you see Neji walking past. "Morning Neji-san." You politely say.  
>"Oh, morning." Neji replies and keeps walking. The only reason you know Neji is because your moms were close friends. You walk further in and pick up seven wood planks and stack them on top of each other on a stand. You were planning of smashing through them with a kick. Two days ago you managed to break through six. This time it's seven. You put your hands together and concentrate, emptying your mind.<p>

...

You open your eyes and with one big kick, you manage to smash all of them, though it hurt your foot a little. But when they smashed you could've sworn you heard it echo or something. You look around the dojo, only to see near you, a boy in a full green suit. You notice he, too, had smashed either six or seven wood planks at the exact same time as you. You looked at each other for a few seconds.  
>You turn around to grab a drink from your canteen.<br>"Excuse me?" You turn around and see that same boy standing in front of you.  
>".. Yes?"<br>"That was quite a nice kick you did just now." He says.  
>"Uh, yeah, you too."<br>"Just how many did you break then?" He asks.  
>"Seven, what about you?"<br>His expressions turns into an impressed one. "I broke seven also. Never before have I met someone break that many, other than myself."  
>"... Um.. If you don't mind, I'm going to continue training.." You say.<br>"Oh, certainly." He says, stepping aside. You walk past him and go to the punching bags, the big tall heavy ones. You take a deep breath and begin punching it, knocking it around a fair bit.

You did this for a few minutes when you decided to stop. you wipe your arm across your forehead, wiping away some sweat. "I must say, that was also impressive." The boy says, approaching you again. You started to feel annoyed.  
>"Yeah.. Thanks." You roll your eyes and walk away from him.. You then hear him punching the bag. You turn around and saw the bag flying around as he punches it, you had to admit, that was quite impressive.<p> 


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

You wait until the boy finishes punching the bag.  
>"Hey," You get his attention. "you seem quite skilled, how would you like to spar?" You ask. The boy smiles at this.<br>"Certainly." He replies. You two stand a reasonable distance from each other and stand in a fighting stance.  
>"Lets begin." You announce. You both run at each other, throwing and swinging kicks and punches at each other. You managed to hit his rib with your kick, knocking him down. You go to finish him off when he uses his leg to defend and counter attack, he punches your chin and sends you upwards. As you're in the air, he jumps up behind you for a sneak attack, you swing yourself around, kicking him again. You land on your feet, and he lands on his butt.<br>"Hm, you're quite good." You compliment him.  
>"Why thank you. You're not bad yourself." He replies, standing up. "But I've been holding back.."<br>".. You have?" _'Wow, if that's him holding back, he must be quite strong.'_You nod. "Very well, then shall we continue?" You ask. The boy nods. You run at him and throw a punch, which he avoids and sends a counter punch at you. You avoid it. You built up strength in your left arm to give off a strong punch. You avoid the few punches the boy throws at you, then you unleash your mighty punch, which he jumps back just in time to avoid it.  
>"ARGH!" You felt like your muscles in your arm just tore apart. You cringe and hold your left arm. The boy notices just before his next attack lands.<br>"Are you alright!" He panics.  
>"Y.. Yeah.. I think I pulled a muscle." You say, rubbing your arm.<br>"Ah, ouch."  
>You laugh to yourself. "It's been years since this happened. You're really quite the opponent. What's your name?"<br>"Oh, I am Rock Lee. And what may I call you?" He says.  
>"Mari, Hyuuga." You reply. "Hm, Rock Lee eh? Well, Lee, I will call you my first worthy opponent." You say.<br>"Yes, I could say the same for you." Lee says. You tried to move your arm but it killed, you grunt in pain. Oh, are you alright?"  
>"Yes." You reply.<p>

_~_~_~ [Yutaka's POV:] ~_~_~_

Well, seems Mari is already out.. Man she gets up early. I walk to the dojo, because that's where she goes when she trains. I see her walk out, my heart races. '_I have to tell her-!'_I pause. Someone is walking beside her.. I've never seen him before.. And why is he walking so close to her? I quickly hide in the nearby foliage as they walk past.  
>"... ... Yes, along with Tenten and Neji Hyuuga.""Oh, Neji? Really? Well, I'm in a squad with ... ..." Is what I heard them say.. '<em>I wonder if she's going out with him.. Oh I hope not.'<em>I watch them walk off together, laughing and talking. '_Perhaps they are..'_This has ruined my day. I walk off in the opposite direction.  
>"YUTAKA!" Tamotsu shouts, I jump at the sudden loudness.<br>"Tam! Don't scare me like that!" I scold.  
>"So how come you're looking all depressed?" Tamotsu asks, completely ignoring me.<br>"I'm not depressed." I say.  
>"Okay, have you seen Mari?"<br>".. No." I lie.  
>"Oh.. Okay. Well see ya." Tamotsu disappears.<br>"Yeah... Bye." I mutter, and continue walking.

_~_~_~ [Your POV:] ~_~_~_

Lee walked you home. "Why don't you come in for a while?" You suggest.  
>"Oh, well if you'd like me to, sure." Lee says. You two go inside and you get a heat pack and put it on your arm. You and Lee sit on the couches.<br>"Hey, Mari, could you help me with something?" Lee asks.  
>"Sure." You reply.<br>"Well, see, theres this girl I like, but.. She.. Doesn't feel the same way. So I was wondering, considering you're a girl, what should I do to make her change her mind?" Lee asks.  
>"Hm.. Have you tried giving her flowers? Flowers are nice." You suggest.<br>"Yes.. She didn't take to it nicely." Lee sighs.  
>"Oh.. That's odd.. Unless, she has her eyes on someone else.." You say.<br>"Yeah, she does." Lee says.  
>"Oh, really? Well, that makes things complicated, aye?" You say. Lee nods.<br>"Hm? Oh, home already Mari?" You mom asks, noticing you as she walks into the living room. Then she smirks when she sees Lee. "Who's this?"  
>Lee stands up and bows to your mom. "Good morning, I am Rock Lee."<br>"Oh, well isn't he charming." You mom says. '_.. Mom.. Don't embarrass me. Please.' _"Well, I'll leave you two to your business." Your mom winks at you before leaving the room, making you feel annoyed. Lee sits down again.  
>"So, who is this girl you like?" You ask.<br>"Her name is Sakura Haruno." Lee replies.  
>"Hm.. Don't think I've heard of her.." You say, trying to think. "Say, why don't you-"<br>"Mari! Was that a heat pack I saw on your arm!" You mom panics as she runs back into the room.  
>".. Yes mom."<br>"My gosh! Are you okay sweetie!" She runs to you.  
>"Yes mom."<br>"What happened!"  
>"I pulled a muscle, nothing to worry about." You say.<br>"Oh, are you okay!" She repeats.  
>"... Yes mom." She turns around to Lee.<br>"Did you help her home?"  
>"Uh.. Y-yes, I did." Lee replies. Your mom pulls that 'what a sweet boy' expression.<br>"Aw, such a charming boy, helping my little baby." Your mom says. You felt like slapping your forehead. Your mom turns to you. "Well, are you two going out?" She asks.  
>"MOM!" You shout. Lee blushes slightly. She laughs.<br>"Okay, okay! I'm going out to do some grocery shopping, I'll be back in an hour or so." She says. You nod, and nudge your head as if to say 'get out of here'. She laughs again. "You take care of her, wont you Rock Lee." She says as she leaves. You sigh and shake your head.  
>"Lee?"<br>"Uh, yes?"  
>"Just ignore her, okay?"<br>"Eh, sure.. Are all moms like that?"  
>"Yeah.. Huh? Don't you have a mom?" You ask, becoming serious.<br>"No, I live by myself." Lee says.  
>"Oh.."<br>"Oh, no need to worry about it." He says, smiling.  
>"Hm, alright. So Sakura, hm.. What does she like?" You ask.<br>"Sasuke Uchiha." Lee replies, in a joking tone. You become alerted. You knew who Sasuke was because of his brother.  
>"... Oh, haha." You fake a laugh.<br>".. Are.. Are you alright?" Lee asks, tilting his head to the side.  
>"Yes, yes. So, does she like anything else?" You ask. Just then Reiko came into your mind, as she does whenever you hear 'Uchiha'. But you try not to let it bother you.<br>"Hm.. I haven't really taken much notice of what she likes, maybe that's why I am having such a hard time.." Lee says.  
>"Hey, I have an idea."<br>"Hn? Really?"  
>"Why don't you show me who she is, and I'll get to know her. That way I can find out stuff about her that may help you get with her." You suggest.<br>"Y-you'd do that? Why thank you Mari-san!" Lee was full of gratitude.

So you wrap a bandage around your arm to ease the pain a bit, and you two set out to find this 'Sakura'. What have you gotten yourself into?


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3  
><strong>

"Th-there she is!" Lee says, pointing to a pink haired girl walking beside beside a blond haired girl.  
>"Alright, wait here." You say. Lee nods and you disappear, reappearing in front of the two girls. They jumped, startled. "Good morning."<br>"Uh.. Who are you?" Asks the blond haired girl.  
>"My name is Mari Hyuuga." You face 'Sakura'. "You must be Sakura Haruno, right?"<br>"Uhh.. Yeah?" She replies.  
>"Awesome! Are you doing anything today?" You ask.<br>"Er, no not really.." Sakura replies.  
>"What do you say, do you wanna come.. Do something with me?" You ask. Sakura took that the wrong way and freaked out. "Er, no I mean, like training or something." You felt like an idiot now.<br>"Um.. Er..Why?"  
>"... I just heard that you were a pretty cool gal, and I was lookin' for someone cool to hang out with." You lie.<br>"I'm.. Cool?" Her eyes sparkle. "Who said that? Was it a boy? Is he cute?"  
>'.. Typical, her only interest is boys..'"Erm, I-I suppose." You scratch your head, remembering Lee's big eyebrows. "Kinda.."<br>Sakura does that excited squeal. "I can't wait to meet him!"  
>"Sakura.." The blond haired girl looked annoyed. You tried to get Sakura's attention..<br>"I bet he's cool too, oh just the thought enlightens me. Oooh! Maybe he's like really strong too-"  
>"OH MY GOD ITS SASUKE!" You shout. They both look around excitedly.<br>"WHERE WHERE?" They both question looking in different directions.  
>'As I thought..' Sakura and the other girl pounce you. "You better not be fooling us!" The blond one threatens. "Yeah, 'coz you wont see the end of me if you are!" Sakura warns.<br>"Heheheh... Get off." You say.  
>"OOOOH NO YOU DON'T!" Sakura yells.<p>

_~_~_~ [Lee's POV:] ~_~_~_  
>'... I wonder what she did to make them so angry.. I mean, they just suddenly tackled her to the ground..'<br>"Hey, you, green dude."  
>"Huh?" I turn around and see some random ginger haired person.<br>"What were you doing with Mari earlier?" He asks.  
>"Oh, she pulled a muscle whilst training so I walked her home." I say.<br>".. Did, uh, you make her pull it?"  
>"Eh, well, I guess so. It was an accident! I swear!" I say. The boy looks at Mari being pinned to the ground by Sakura and Ino.<br>".. What's.. Going on?" He asks. I turn back around to them.  
>"I don't actually know." I say.<p>

_~_~_~ [Your POV:] ~_~_~_  
>Using your good arm you throw Sakura off you first, then using your legs, you push the blond haired girl off. You stand up. They both looked at you shocked.<br>"H-how did you do that!" Sakura asks.  
>"Um.. It was fairly easy.." You say.<br>"Can you teach me!" Sakura kneels beside you.  
>"Uh.." 'WAIT THIS IS YOUR CHANCE MARI!' You smile. "Sure." You say. Sakura's eyes sparkle in admiration. Sakura stands up.<br>"Hey what about me! Sakura!" The blond questions.  
>"Go away, I've got a new friend." Sakura says, and pokes her tongue out. You and Sakura walk off together. You walk past Lee and give him a wink as if to say 'mission accomplished'. But you didn't notice Yutaka standing next to him, he saw it. Lee smiles.<br>Inside the dojo, once again, you show Sakura around. "Have you been here before?" You ask.  
>"Nope." Sakura replies.<br>"Well I come here everyday." You say. Sakura's eyes widen at you.  
>"Everyday! How do you get the motivation to train everyday?" She asks.<br>"Eh, I dunno. It's just a hobby I guess." You say.  
>"Wow, you must be kinda strong then, huh?"<br>"I guess.." You just felt like training again, but because of your arm, you knew what's best.  
>"Could you demonstrate?" Sakura asks.<br>"I suppose a few kicks wouldn't hurt." You say to yourself. You walk over to the punching bag. You start kicking it, one leg after the other in a good rhythm. Sakura watches as the bag flies around a little.  
>"Wow, your so cool!" Sakura says. You look at her.<br>"I bet you could do this too." You say. Sakura's expression became enlightened. You stepped back to let Sakura have a turn at kicking. Just as she was about to kick it; "Sakura! Not too hard-"  
>"AAAARRRGH!" Sakura hopped back holding her foot, she falls on her butt.<br>".. Sakura, are you alright?" You ask.  
>"Ow, yeah, ow ow. How do you kick that! It's like a rock!"<br>"No, it's how you kick it. See, straight on like you just did is a great way if you want to break your foot." You say. Sakura's head tilts as you explain to her different types of kicks etc. "... ... so, you wanna try again?"  
>"Y-yeah, I think I understand, but, could you show me first? Just to be sure.."<br>"Yep." You demonstrate the 'proper' way to kick it.  
>"Oh! I get it now!"<br>You step back to let Sakura kick it. She did it the exact same way you did, she made it move, which is quite impressive considering how heavy it is. "Well done, Sakura."  
>"But I couldn't get to to fly around like you.." She mopes.<br>"Sakura, I've been doing this for years. But I reckon you could catch up if you train more often instead of trying to get a boyfriend." You say, slightly mocking her.  
>"But I want a boyfriend! Someone who will protect me!" Sakura says. You shake your head at her.<br>"Sakura, if you train and become strong yourself, you wont need a boyfriend to protect you." You explain.  
>"Yeah, but, I'd still like someone to cuddle up to, like Sasuke-kun." Sakura smiles. "Hey, do you think if I train super hard then maybe, Sasuke will notice me?"<br>"Uh, I guess." You say.  
>"CHA! I'm going to train hard! Hey! Can I train with you, Mari?" Sakura asks.<br>"Sure." You smile.  
>So you two train, side by side. "Hey, Mari, your so cool. I bet your boyfriend thinks the world of you." Sakura says. You gasp slightly, then laugh.<br>"Sakura, I don't have a boyfriend." You laugh. Sakura looked like she just died.  
>"YOU DON'T! But Mari, you're so cool! You look like someone boys would fall for!"<br>"Uh, thanks Sakura." You say. You had no interest for boys though. Having a boyfriend was the last thing you cared about.  
>"I should set you up with someone." Sakura suggests.<br>"Erm, no Sakura."  
>"But why!"<br>"Sakura, come sit down." You say, preparing to give her a big lecture about boys, more or less, your version of the talk. "Okay, Sakura, I have no interest for having a boyfriend, okay? All I focus on is my training and doing missions. That's pretty much why I don't hang around with my squad members."  
>"Oh.. But have you ever had a crush?" Sakura asks as she smirks.<br>"Hm.. No, I don't think so." You say.  
>"You don't think so!"<br>"Hey, calm down!"  
>".. Sorry."<br>"So, um. Yeah, I don't pay attention to any boy in that way. And neither should you. Just forget about Sasuke alright."  
>"BUT! Sasuke means everything to me!"<br>".. Well, if that's the case, tell me what Sasuke has ever done to you." You sat there waiting for an answer. Sakura lowered her head to think.  
>"Um.. Uh.."<br>"Nothing, so why are you so obsessed with him?" You ask.  
>"Because he's so hot!" Sakura smiles.<br>"..." 'This is why I never made many friends..' "Erm, why don't you at least go for someone who cares about you.." 'Like Lee.'  
>"But, other than Naruto, there isn't anyone else." Sakura says.<br>".. You'd be surprised." You say, standing up.  
>"Who who!" Sakura stands up, then grunts when she leaned on her sore foot. "Ow, ow."<br>"Come here." You put her arm around your shoulders and help her walk.  
>"Tell me!" She pleads. Then you see Lee walk in. You say nothing, but he blushes when he sees Sakura. "Hmph. Lets keep going." Sakura huffs.<br>"Morning Lee." You say. Lee approaches you two.  
>"Good morning Mari-san, Sakura-san." Lee bows.<br>"Get lost Lee." Sakura snaps. You felt like hitting her.  
>"Sakura, why are you so negative towards Lee?" You ask, walking down the street.<br>"Hmph, he's trying to date me." Sakura sighs.  
>"Oh, that's nice." You say.<br>"No, its not." Sakura gushes. "I don't like him."  
>"Why not? Why not give him a chance, he might not be as bad as you think." You say. Sakura vigorously shakes her head.<br>"No way!"  
>"Why not?"<br>"Have youseen him! He's so.. Weird looking."  
>"That's not very nice Sakura." You say.<br>"Don't you think those eyebrows are gross?"  
>"No. It's just something natural I suppose." You say.<br>"But! It's.. Ew."  
>"Well, you could say your forehead isweird too." You say.<br>"HEY!"  
>"Look, Sakura, I don't mean to be rude, but me saying that is exactly the same as you saying that about Lee's eyebrows." You say. Sakura looks down.<br>"Yeah, I guess you're right."  
>"Besides," Sakura looks up at you. "it's not the outside that counts."<p> 


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

You took Sakura home and left her in the care of her mom. You are now walking aimlessly around.  
>"Mari-san!" Lee called as he ran to you. "Heh.. H.. How did.. You.. Go?" Says the out of breath Lee.<br>"Well, I've convinced her a bit, but she's still completely obsessed with Sasuke." You say.  
>"That does not matter, even the slightest bit counts." Lee gives you a thumbs up. You sweatdrop.<br>"Yeah.. I suppose it does, doesn't it." You say. Rolling your eyes to forget that weird pose, you start walking with him. You see Tenten approaching Lee, she looked angry.  
>"Uh, morning Tenten." Lee smiles. Tenten stomps her foot.<br>"Lee! Where the hell have you been! Gai-sensei has been looking for you everywhere!" Tenten scolds. Then she sees you, then looks back at Lee, then at you again. She giggles. "Hi, I'm Tenten." She holds her hand out. You shake it.  
>"I'm Mari Hyuuga." You say. "Nice to meet you." Tenten happily nods.<br>"Don't worry Lee, I'll leave you_two_alone. I'll tell Gai-sensei you're busy." Tenten winks at him and disappears.  
>"Tenten! Wait-.." Lee sighs. '<em>Mom.. Tenten.. Who else is going to think we're going out?'<em>  
>"Lee, you may as well go after her." You say. Lee looks at you and nods.<br>"I'll see you around, Mari-san." And with that Lee disappears. You stood there waiting for the next person to come running up to you... No one? Okay, lets keep walking.

You head back home. Your mom was trying to unlock the door with her hands full of shopping bags. You run up and unlock it for her.  
>"Thanks dear." She says, you nod and let her in first. She plops the bags on the table. "Alright, come help me put them away."<br>"Ugh.." You grab the first bag and put the stuff away.  
>"Well?"<br>".. Well what?" You ask, grabbing another bag.  
>"Where'd you meet your boyfriend?" She asks. Your face became red with anger.<br>"MOM! He's not my boyfriend!" You growl. She laughs.  
>"Yeah, that's what you say now."<br>"... Not funny.. Besides! He has a girlfriend!" You say in that 'as a matter of fact' tone.  
>"Oh yes?"<br>"Yeah!" You nod.  
>"My little girl is growing up." She smiles. You pout as you continue putting the stuff away. "So hows Yutaka and Tamotsu going?"<br>"I dunno, haven't seen 'em today." You say.  
>"Weird bunch they are." You mom says, you laugh, you just had to agree with that. "Oh by the way, I picked this up on the porch." She hands you an envelope. It's addressed to you.<br>"Who's it from?" You ask.  
>"I don't know. Probably your secret admirer." She laughs.<br>"Oh no. I don't want to open it now." You sarcastically say. You open it, theres a letter and some money inside. Not much, but still, its money! You pocket it and open the letter. You become excited to see who it's from.

"It's from dad!" You call out. Your mom becomes excited. See, your dad is out traveling. He sends you a letter from time to time. He's been away for about three years now.  
>"What's it say!" Your mom questions. You begin reading aloud.<br>"Dear Mari, it's been quite a long time since the last letter, hasn't it? I'm sending this from Sunagakure in the Land of Wind. The money I sent you is the money I won in a lottery, I know it's not much, but hey, at least I won. Anyway, I can't wait to see you. I'm coming home. I should be there in a few days. Your sincerely, Dad." You laugh of excitement, you hug you mom. "Dad's coming home! He's coming home!" Your mom hugs you back.  
>"Oh I can't wait to see him again!" Your mom exclaims.<p>

You and your mom spent the rest of the day talking about your dad, and how excited you were about seeing him again. You had planned a welcome home party.  
>"... ... and don't forget to invite all your friends, this party is going to be HUGE!" You mom declares.<br>"Oh but imagine the mess.."  
>"No! Don't think of that until it comes!" You mom jumps up in joy. "Now off to bed, it's 10pm already!"<br>"What! Oh geez, good night mom." You say as you walk up the stairs to your bedroom. You lay in bed, too excited to sleep, but eventually you did.

You yawn as you wake up.. You jump when you see Tamotsu's face staring down at you. "What the hell are you doing?" You snap, pulling the blanket up to cover your chest, your singlet that you wear to bed is kinda loose. He laughs.  
>"You look funny when you sleep." He replies.<br>"How the hell did you get in here?" You question, totally freaking out.  
>"Your mom let me in." He says.<br>".. WHAAAAT! GET OUT! GET OUT OUT OUT!" You shout. Tamotsu backs off waving his arms in front of him.  
>"Alright alright!" He walks out and shuts your door to give you some privacy. You notice your heart was racing. You get up and quickly get dressed. "Fucking pervert." You mutter. You open your door and run down the stairs where your mom is giving Tamotsu some breakfast.<br>"MOM! WHAT THE HELL?" You shout.  
>"Hn? Oh, morning dear." She says, handing you a plate with your breakfast on it.<br>"What's _he _doing here!" You question.  
>"Oh, he wanted to ask you something." Your mom smiles.<br>"..." You glare at Tamotsu. "You don't watch a girl while she sleeps! Especially when she wears loose singlets and undies to bed!" You snap. Tamotsu chuckles.  
>"That's fine with me." He laughs. You growl and throw a book at him, it just happened to be laying around. "Ow."<br>"You're a fucking pervert!" You snap.  
>"Mari! Watch your language!" Your mom scolds.<br>"Sorry mom." You sit down at the table. "What do you want to ask me?"  
>"Oh, yeah, yesterday Yutaka told me that you were walking with some retard. And he thinks you're going out with him or something." Tamotsu replies. You bite your lip and hit the table.<br>"One, he's not a retard, and two HE'S NOT BY BOYFRIEND!" You shout. You mom laughs.  
>"Oh, you don't have to hide it dear, just admit it." You mom says. Your eye twitches then you bang your head on the table.<br>"This is not happening.. _Not_ happening." You mutter to yourself. Tamotsu stands up and reaches over the table and pats your head.  
>"There there." He laughs. You slowly lift your head, giving him an ultimate death stare. He sits back down.<p>

"So what's your point?" You ask.  
>"Oh nothin' Yutaka just wanted me to ask you if you were going out with him." Tamotsu explains.<br>"Yutaka asked you? Why didn't he come and ask me himself?" You ask. Tamotsu shrugs.  
>"Dunno, you should ask him." He says. You start eating your breakfast.<br>"Do we have any missions today?" You ask.  
>"I dunno, I haven't gone to see Tsunade-sama yet." He says. You nod and keep eating.<p>

"Have a good day you two." Your mom calls to you both as you leave. Neither of you say anything back.  
>"So who was the guy you were with yesterday?"<br>"He's name is Rock Lee." You say.  
>"Hah, funny name."<br>"... Ugh." You sigh.

"Morning Madoka-sensei." You say, approaching him. He turns around.  
>"Ah, good morning Mari, I hear you've got yourself a boyfriend eh?" He replies. Your expression becomes blank.<p>

After lecturing him about it, Yutaka arrives. "Yutaka, guess what?" Madoka-sensei says.  
>"Hn?"<br>"Mari's got a boyfriend." Madoka-sensei chuckles. Your lip twitched. Yutaka looks at you.  
>"What?"<br>"You.. Do?" Yutaka asks.  
>"Psh, no." You slap your sensei over the head. "I don't. Lee is just a friend and will stay that way." You declare. Tamotsu and your sensei smirk at each other. You hate it when they do that, it means they've thought of a plan. This is why you hated being on a squad with all boys. You feared they were going to do something bad.. Very bad.<br>And it just so happens that Mr. Green Beast walks by.  
>"Oh, Rock Lee-kun!" Tamotsu calls out to him.<p> 


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

"Hn? Uh, what did you call me?" Lee asks approaching you all.  
>"<em>Lee-kun!<em>" Tamotsu mocks you.  
>"... Do I know you?" Lee asks.<br>"I'm Mari's teammate, right, Mari?" Tamotsu turns to you. Your body was filling with anger.  
>"Oh, hello Mari.. Um.. So, what do you want?" Lee asks Tamotsu. Tamotsu laughs. Madoka-sensei stands up and puts his hand on Lee's shoulder. You could see Lee was freaking out.<br>"You're lucky to have my student as a girlfriend." He says. Lee's face becomes red, so does yours, but of anger. You couldn't contain it anymore. You unleashed your rage on Tamotsu and Madoka, literally knocking them both out. You stood there staring at them, taking deep breaths.  
>"Uh... Did he just say..?" Lee asks. You turn to him.<br>"Sorry, they jump to conclusions too fast." You reply.  
>"What do you mean?" Lee tilts his head to the side.<br>"Well, one of them saw us walking yesterday and y'know, presumed.." You didn't want to say it.  
>"Oh.. Right.." Lee looked very spaced out.<br>"I'm sorry." You lower your head. Lee sees Yutaka standing there frozen in fear.  
>"Hey, you." Lee walks up to him, making him jump. You watch.<br>"... H-eh.. L-low." Yutaka shivers.  
>".. I was just sayin' hi, what are you so scared about?" Lee asks. Yutaka shakes his head.<br>"N-n-nothing at all!"  
>"... Well, uh, I'll just be on my way.." Lee says and walks off.<em>'And now he ain't gonna speak to me again.'<em> You sigh.  
>"Yutaka." He jumps. "I'm going home. When they wake up tell them.. Tell them I'm sick or something. Okay?"<br>"O-okay." Yutaka nods. You walk back to your house. You start panicking when you see blood on the ground and your front door wide open.

"MOTHER!" You scream and run inside. You hastily run around your house looking for her. You heard voices from her room. You peep through and see your mom panting and laying on the ground, trying to sit up. You burst in and see someone rummaging through her closet. You draw a kunai and hold it in front you. "You! Get out of there!" You demand. You stand in front of your mom, protecting her.  
>"M-Mari.. Thank goodness." She puffs. You could see she was badly hurt.<br>"Mom, stay there, don't move." You say.  
>"And just who are you!" Asks the cloaked person, facing you.<br>"Never mind who I am, who are you, and what are you doing in my house?" You question.  
>"M-Mari, be.. Careful." Your mom whimpers and falls unconscious. You cringe at the sight of her.<br>"Hah, are you going to be as pathetic as her? She didn't even put up a reasonable fight, tch, if you're her daughter, you won't be strong either-"  
>"Shut up! I don't care what you say about me, but don't bad mouth my mother! You bastard!" You growl.<br>"My my, should young girls really be using that sort of language?" He laughs.  
>"Shut up! Explain your purpose!" You demand.<br>"Hmph, why should I? I'd be talking to a corpse." He says. You bite your lip and run at him. He just chuckles and goes to punch you, but you easily avoid it. "Hm? Oh, so we're fast, are we?" You bounce of the ceiling and go to stab him with the kunai. But he steps back, it was in an instant, you didn't even see him move. You impact the ground and quickly stand up, but by then you were being kicked in the stomach, and sent flying, through the window. The glass smashes, small shards cut you. You land out on the street, where a lot of people are staring at you in panic. You look up at your two-story house, at your mom's broken window. You stand up, holding your stomach, the kick really hurt.

"Byakugan!" You saw him about to jump through the window. You step back and prepare your hand for your 'gentle fist' attack. '_Here I go!'_"Gentle Fist!"

_~_~_~ [Yutaka's POV:] ~_~_~_

I watch that green freak walk.. He's really.. Odd..  
>"SOMEONE GET A MEDIC! HURRY!" Shouts a random person running around.<br>"What is it?" Lee asks. I jump over to them. The woman looks at us both.  
>"There's a fight!" She exclaims. Me and Lee look at each other.<br>"Who's involved?" Lee asks.  
>"Some Hyuuga girl and someone I didn't recognize! Hurry, she's in a bad condition, and the man is attacking everyone!" The woman runs off calling for help.<br>"She doesn't mean Mari.. Does she?" I ask.  
>"There's only one way to find out, lets go." Lee says, jumping off. I hesitate. Some unknown guy that could manage to beat Mari.. That sure sounds scary. "Are you coming!" Lee shouts. I gulp and jump after him. We see several Jonin heading towards the fight as well, this must be serious. Then after one more building, we see it. We see her, Mari, laying on the ground in a puddle of blood. I panic and jump down to her.<br>"MARI!" I shake her, but she doesn't respond. Then I sense a really strong chakra coming at me, I turn and see a big scary figure charging at me, then suddenly fly backwards. I squeak and stand up. Lee had kicked him, saving me.  
>"Do not worry, I will take care of this guy. You take Mari to the hospital." Lee says.<br>"A-a-are you sure?" I ask. Lee holds his arm out and gives me a thumbs up.  
>"Positive, now go!" Lee says. By then I turn around and see someone picking Mari up. He carried her off, as soon as I saw the Jonin flak jacket I stop worrying a bit.<p>

"Look out!" Lee shouts, I turn around and see that figure about to pounce me, I panic. Then some random punches him away just in the nic of time. I was trembling from fear. I notice the person who saved me was wearing a bright orange suit.  
>"You should learn to watch yourself." He says.<br>"Wh-who are you?" I ask. He turns around and grins.  
>"The name's Naruto Uzumaki! The next Hokage! Believe it!"<br>Lee is belting the crap out of that guy. "Naruto! Finish him!" Lee says, kicking the man to him. "Alright!" Naruto makes a few shadow clones and does some sort of technique. "Uzumaki Barrage!"  
>The man fell face first into the ground. I found myself still trembling.<p> 


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6  
><strong>

"..i...ri...p... ari...ke up!.. Mari!"  
>You groggily open your eyes to see a panicked Yutaka looking down at you.<br>"Mari! You're awake! Thank goodness.." Yutaka wipes the tears from his face.  
>"Y-Yutaka? Wh-what happened?" You ask, sitting up. Then you remember that man. "What happened to that man?" You question. "Did you..?"<br>Yutaka shakes his head. "Lee and Naruto." He replies.  
>"Oh.. So where is he now?" You ask.<br>"He's being taken care of by Ibiki."  
>"Oh, alright.. Just who was he anyway?" You ask.<br>"I don't know. -"  
>"MOM! Where's my mom!"<br>"She's fine. In the next room." Tsunade says, coming in.  
>"Tsunade-sama!" You sit up straight. Tsunade feels your forehead and smiles.<br>"You should be fine to leave in about 15 minutes." Tsunade says. "Now, who was this man that attacked you?"  
>"I.. Don't know.." You say. "I don't think I even saw his face."<br>"Tsunade-sama!" Shizune runs in.  
>"What is it Shizune?"<br>"They've discovered the man is from a small gang of rogue ninja." Shizune says.  
>"Rogue ninja? From where?" Tsunade asks, facing her.<br>"Eh, apparently they're all from different locations, this guy in particular is from Iwagakure." Shizune explains.  
>"So what is he doing here?"<br>"They are looking for forbidden jutsu scrolls to enhance their own power." Shizune says.  
>"Hm? How many are in the gang?" Tsunade asks.<br>"Five, including him." Shizune says.  
>"Where are the others?" Tsunade asks.<br>"Ibiki and the others are working on it." Shizune says. "And they call themselves 'Kana' (Literally meaning 'powerful')" Tsunade sighs and nods.  
>"Alright, we'll talk in my office." Tsunade says as she walks out.<br>"Yes, m'lady." Shizune and Tsunade walk off.

15 Minutes pass and you're in your mom's hospital room.  
>"... ... sure will, and I'll even do the shopping tomorrow too." You say.<br>"Your such a good girl, now don't go gettin' yourself into trouble, okay?" You mom says. You nod.  
>"Alright, I'll see you tomorrow." You say. She nods.<br>"Get your friends to help if you like, I don't mind." She says as you and Yutaka walk out.  
>"Yes mom." You say, closing the door behind him. "Yutaka, you wanna come help me?" You ask.<br>"Uh.. S-sure." He nods. You nod back and you two head for your house. Your mom left you in charge of planning the welcome home party in a few days because she wont be out of the hospital for another 2 days.

"Hm, lets start by cleaning up the blood eh?" You say. Yutaka nods.  
>"Say um.. Mari-san?"<br>"Hn?"  
>"I was wondering.. Hum..Will you.. Er.."<br>"What is it Yutaka?" You ask and stop cleaning. He shakes his head.  
>"N-nothing."<br>"Uh, okay then.." You continue scrubbing the wall.

_~_~_~ [Yutaka's POV:] ~_~_~_

_'Idiot, that was the perfect opportunity.. Why can't I ask her out? My courage just disappears..'_ I watch her scrub the wall. She looks to beautiful.. But.. There's no way I deserve someone like her. I sigh and continue scrubbing the door. I look outside and look out at the nice clear blue sky and smile.

"Hello? You in there?" Mari asks, waving her hand in front of my face. I snap back into reality. I notice all the walls are clean. "You've been spaced out for a while, something on your mind?" She asks.  
>"Eh, not really.." I reply. We look at each other and smile.<br>"Well, if it isn't my two pals!" Tamotsu randomly appears, putting his arms around us both. He scared the shit out of me.  
>"T-T-T-Tam.. Don't do that." I complain. I saw the look on Mari's face, she looked annoyed too.. Until; "Hey Tam, wanna help out?" She asks. I sigh and slump my shoulders. She just <em>had<em> to ask..

_~_~_~ [Your POV:] ~_~_~_

"Sure!.. With what?" Tamotsu asks.  
>"Cleaning." You reply. He gives you that expression of 'as if that's gonna happen'. ".. Then party planning." You add. His face lightens up.<br>"PARTY!" Tamotsu excitedly jumps around. "When is it!"  
>"Not for another few days, but we need to get it prepared. I've devoted the whole day today to cleaning the house, and tomorrow is shopping for party stuff and decorating the house." You explain.<br>"So who's birthday is it?" Tamotsu asks.  
>"No ones."<br>"Eh?"  
>"It's a welcome home party, for my dad." You say.<br>"Yeah? Awesome.. Will there still be cake?" Tamotsu asks. You and Yutaka laugh.  
>"Sure." You say. "You know what? I've gotta go pick up some stuff, you two keep cleaning until I get back." Tamotsu goes to walk into the kitchen when you stop him by pulling on his hair.<br>"Ar-ow ow.."  
>"And no going into my room, kapish?" You warn.<br>"Y-yes Mari." He says. You smile and let him go.  
>"Good. I'll be back in a few minutes." And with that, you walk out.<p>

You go to the store and buy some ingredients for a cake, drinks, and other snacks. On your way back home you run into Lee.. Literally. You accidentally drop two of the bags.  
>"Oh, I'm sorry." You say, at first, not realising who it was. Lee bends down and picks them up for you.<br>"No problem Mari-san."  
>You look at him, and begin to feel embarrassed about earlier this morning.<br>"I see you're out of hospital already." Lee says. You nod. "Are you okay?"  
>"Yep."<br>"Here, give me those." Lee takes the bags for you.  
>"Oh, you don't have to.."<br>"No no, consider it a favour." Lee smiles. You smile back.  
>"Thanks Lee." You two walk back to your house.<p>

"Hey, Lee, would you like to help?" You ask.  
>"Hm?"<br>You explain about the party.  
>"Oh, sure thing!" Lee excitedly gives you the thumbs up pose.<p> 


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7  
><strong>

The house is now nice and clean, who knew boys could actually be so good at cleaning? Heck, you should make them clean more often.

"Thanks guys." You say.  
>"Mari! Mari! Can we start planning now?" Tamotsu asks.<br>"I suppose, but I don't have any party stuff, I just brought food and drinks." You explain.  
>"Well, maybe tomorrow?" Lee suggests.<br>"Sure, say why don't you guys cra-" _'What am I saying? No way am I gonna have three boys sleep here!'  
><em>"Mari-san?" Lee asks.  
>"I'm huuungry!" Tamotsu complains. You pout.<br>"I suppose you want dinner, right?" You ask. They all nod at you with grins. This is officially, awkward.

Never before had you cooked for three boys, especially at 9 o'clock at night. You cook dinner and sit at the table to eat with them.  
>"Holy crap, Mari." Tamotsu says.<br>"... What?"  
>"This is actually good!" Tamotsu says. Your eye twitches.<br>"Were you expecting me to be a shit cooker?" You ask.  
>"Yeah, 'coz it would match your shit fighting skills." Tamotsu laughs. You were about to swear at him when Lee clears his throat.<br>"That is not a very nice thing to say about your teammate." Lee says.  
>"Awww... How cute, he's looking out for his angel." Tamotsu says.<br>"Tam, knock it off." Yutaka says. You and Lee look at each other.  
>"Mari-san is a very good fight-"<br>"Lee, it's a joke, calm down." Tamotsu says.  
>"Are you okay with this, Mari-san?" Lee asks. You roll your eyes and nod. Just then you feel something hit your face, and stick to it. Tamotsu laughs.<br>"Got you!" He laughs. You wipe the food he threw at you off your face.  
>"Are you really <em>that <em>bored, Tam?" You ask, taking your last mouthful.

You giggle. You notice Lee and Yutaka hadn't had a sip of their drinks yet. Lee puts his empty plate in the sink and comes back to skull his drink. He puts that in the sink too, and when he turns around he had a red face. You finish your drink and stand up.  
>"Hey, Lee, you don't look too well." You say. Lee sways a little then smiles at you.<br>"Oooh! Mari-san!" Lee goes to give you a high-five but because you didn't raise your arm he hits your face. For some reason you just laugh it this. Tamotsu and Yutaka stand up in concern. Lee puts his arm around your shoulders and you both walk into the lounge room. Tamotsu and Yutaka follow.  
>"Haay, Mariii-san... Dyuu waaannaaa-hic be my gerlfraand-hic?" Lee asks as he falls to the ground.<br>"Leeee.." You clumsily fall over beside him and laugh hysterically.  
>"Nyaaah." Lee sits up and pats your back. "Yuu fall-hic ovaa and go boom!" Lee laughs.<p>

_~_~_~ [Yutaka's POV:] ~_~_~_

"Are they, drunk?" I ask. Tamotsu goes back into the kitchen and looks at the non-labeled bottle. He sniffs it.  
>"It's alcohol." Tamotsu says. "Strong one at that, ahaah." Tamotsu snorts. He had only drunk a quarter of his glass, so he was only slightly drunk. I sigh. '<em>I'm glad I didn't drink anything..'<em>  
>*Slap*... *Slap*... Me and Tamotsu look at each other and walk back into the lounge room to see what that slapping noise was.. Lee slapped Mari in the face, making her lose her footing a little, then she slapped him back. They repeated this two more times when Mari fell over and hysterically laughed. Lee attempted to point at her.<br>"Immaaa stwonga-hic zan yuuu." Lee says then falls backwards onto his butt. "Nyoouch. Maay butt!" Lee pouts. Then he sees me and Tamotsu staring at him. "Whhhaaaattt are yuu-hic loookin at?" Lee gets up and jumps at us. For a drunk person, he was like, really good at fighting. Mari sat up and watched, still laughing. Lee and Tamotsu were fighting, but Tamotsu couldn't land a single hit, but Lee was beating the crap out of him.  
>"Leeee!" Mari says, attempting to stand up. Lee stops fighting and smiles. "Huug!" Lee spreads his arms out and Mari gives him a goofy hug.. They both fall over.. Snoring like elephants. Tamotsu was panting.<br>"What should we do?" I ask.  
>"Just lea-hic.. Leave them." Tamotsu replies. I sigh.<br>"No we can't just leave them like that. We'll take Mari up to her bed and just leave Lee on the couch." I say.  
>"Okaay." Tamotsu replies. We try to pry Mari and Lee apart, but their grasp on each other was tight. "Y'know, we could-hic.. Take advantage of Mari-hic."<p>

"OOOOWWWWW!" Tamotsu cries, I slapped him across the face with all my force.  
>"DON'T SAY THINGS LIKE THAT, PERVERT!" I shout.<br>"Whooa! You shouted." Tamotsu says, swaying slightly.. _'Holy crap.. I did, didn't I?'  
><em>"You put Lee on the couch and I'll carry Mari to her bedroom." I say, managing to pry her apart from Lee, who then rolls over and hugs Tamotsu's leg. I pick Mari up, bridal style and carry her upstairs.

I lay her down in her bed and tuck her in. "Good night, Mari-chan." I mutter and walk out, quietly closing the door behind me. I then heard something smash. I quickly run downstairs and see Tamotsu on the ground with Lee cuddling up to him. I saw a broken vase next to them. I sigh but sweatdrop at the same time.. '_Is this really happening?'_

With Lee finally tied up to the couch I sit down and sigh. Slowly.. Drifting off...

...

*THUD*

I sit up, wide awake. I'm still in Mari's house, I look out the window to see daylight. '_Did I fall asleep?'_

_~_~_~ [Your POV:] ~_~_~_

You had just fallen out of bed. "Oww. My head is pounding.. What happened?" You stand up groggily and stumble to your door. You stand back up rubbing your head and open it. You could hear snoring as you walk down the stairs. You notice Tamotsu crashed out on the floor, Lee, for some reason, tied to the couch and Yutaka doing the dishes...  
>"Okay, what the hell is going on?" You ask. Yutaka jumps at your voice, he didn't hear you come down the stairs.<br>"O-oh, Mari, morning.." He says.  
>"... What's going on? And why is my head pounding?"<br>".. Mari, you've got a hang over." Yutaka says.  
>"Hey! How dare you! I don't drink!" You snap.<br>"You did last night.." Yutaka turns away from you.  
>"I was.. Drunk?" You ask. Yutaka nods. You face Lee tied to the couch and Tamotsu on the floor again. "What the hell did we get up to?" You ask.<br>"... I think that's something better left unsaid." Yutaka replies. You look back at Lee.  
>"Y'know, I might have to agree.." You say.<p>

Yutaka prepares breakfast. "GGGAAAAAHHHH! WHO TIED ME UP!"  
>"Lee's awake.." Yutaka mutters.<p> 


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8  
><strong>

You stand next to the couch where Lee is desperately trying to free himself.  
>"Morning Lee."<br>Lee stops and faces you.  
>"Eh, morning? What the heck happened? Why am I tied up?" Lee asks.<br>"I have no idea. But apparently we got drunk last night." You say rubbing your head.  
>"Drunk? But did we drink?"<br>"You got the non-labeled bottle, it was alcohol."  
>"Eh? I am sorry."<br>"It's okay-..." You stop and run to the bathroom.  
>"Mari-san!"<br>You lift the toilet seat and vomit. Yutaka comes running in behind you. "Mari? Are you okay?"  
>You sigh. "Nope. I think I need to rest, go get Lee off the couch." You say, still leaning over the toilet. Yutaka nods and unties Lee, who then comes in to you. You had your eyes closed, waiting for the next round.<br>"Mari-san, Gai-sensei has some stuff that can help your hang over.. I will go and get it, if you like." Lee suggests. You nod and with that, the green beast disappears. How is it, that he is not having a hang over?

_~_~_~ [Lee's POV:] ~_~_~_

_'Must find Gai-sensei... Must find Gai-sensei..'_ Running down the streets I could feel myself not running straight.. *Thud* I fell over...  
>"Nyahahahaha! Bushy-brow fell over! Believe it!"<br>"Naruto! That isn't nice!"  
>I look up and see Naruto and Sakura-chan standing before me. I quickly jump to my feet. "Good morning Naruto-kun, Sakura-san."<br>"Are you feeling okay bushy-brow?" Naruto asks.  
>"Indeed, I am."<br>"Then why'd you fall over?" Naruto asks.  
>"Because I am in a rush, I have to find Gai-sensei so he can give me his special cure so I can give it to Mari-san." I explain.<br>"What happened to Mari-san!" Sakura questions.  
>"Who?" Asks an utterly confused Naruto.<br>"Erm.. To put things simply.. Shwe got a little drunk last night." I say.  
>".. What do you mean by 'Shwe'?" Sakura asks.<br>"Erm," I see Gai-sensei walking down another street. "Oh, I am sorry, but I must go. You may go and visit her if you like, her house is just down that way." I say and disappear.

"GGGGAAAAAAIIIIII-!"  
>"Hn?" Gai-sensei turns around. "Ah Lee!" I apply my brakes just in time.<br>"Gai-sensei! I am in need of your special cure thingo so I can give to Mari!" I say.  
>"... Huh? Mari? Is she your girlfriend?"<br>"No Gai-sensei!"  
>"Hm, alright, tell me what happened."<br>"From the start?"  
>"Hm." He nods.<br>"Very well. Yesterday, I was on my way to the dojo to train, then I was called by a member on Mari's squad. For some reason which I cannot recall, Mari knocked him and her sensei straight out. I then went about on my way, to the dojo. When minutes later I hear of a fight.." I stop to catch my breath.  
>"Ah, so Mari was in this-"<br>"Gai-sensei! I'm not finished!"  
>"Very well.."<br>"The fight consisted of Mari-san and some unknown person from Iwagakure. Me and Naruto beated him to a pulp. Then Mari came out of hospital and invited me over to help her clean and prepare for a party.." I stop to catch my breath. Gai-sensei was about to say something when I hold my index finger up. "Then before we knew it, it was night. So Mari-san cooked us all dinner-"  
>"Us?"<br>"Gai-sensei! Let me finish! I was to serve the drinks, but I accidentally grabbed a bottle of alcohol and.. Mari-san and I got drunk.. Now she's got a hang over.. Now I am finished.."  
>"..." Gai-sensei sighs. "Lee.. You didn't destroy her house did you?"<br>"No sir!" I salute him. He looks at me strangely.  
>"But I did wake up with no memory of last night and I was tied to the couch."<br>"Alright Lee.. Take this, now make sure she drinks plenty of water and gets plenty of rest." Gai-sensei hands me a bottle of something.  
>"Yes Gai-sensei! Thank you Gai-sensei!" I bow and disappear.<p>

Upon entering. Mari's house I notice the front door was open. I walk inside.  
>"... ... and get plenty of rest. I will get you a bucket just in case." It was Sakura-chan's voice. I walk into the lounge room to see Naruto relaxing in one of the recliners and Sakura assisting Mari on the couch.<br>"Thank you Sakura." Mari moans.  
>"Mari-san. I have the cure." I say holding it out. Sakura takes it and observes it.<br>"Hm.. Alright, drink some of this then have some water." Sakura says and hands Mari the bottle. She drinks it and her face turns red.  
>"GGGAAAAAAHHHHHH! HOT HOT HOT!" Mari feels around for the glass of water. Sakura gives it to her, and Mari skulls it. "More more!" I quickly take the glass and fill it up. "Hurry up! I'm dying!"<br>"Here Mari-san!" She skulls it.  
>"What the heck it that stuff?" She questions.<br>"I don't know, Gai-sensei says it works for him." I say.  
>"... Yes and Gai-sensei loves spicy stuff." Sakura says.<br>"Gahahahaha!" Naruto cracked up laughing.

_~_~_~ [Your POV:] ~_~_~_

Your throat burned. How can Gai stand that? "Another drink please." You say. Lee quickly disappears and reappears. You skull it. "Ah, that's better." You lay back down on the couch and close your eyes. "Sakura?"  
>"Yes?"<br>"Are you doing anything today?" You ask.  
>"I don't think so.. Would you like me to stay here and look after you?"<br>"Yes please." You reply. Sakura nods.  
>"Naruto, go find Kakashi-sensei and tell him I'm not coming. Lee.. You two, out!" Sakura demands. Without arguing the boys all leave.<p>

It was peaceful for a few hours when Mr. Ramen Lover waltzes right in.  
>"How are you feeling, Mari?" Naruto asks.<br>"Better." You reply.  
>"How did it go?" Sakura asks.<br>"Meh, Kakashi-sensei still hasn't turned up." Naruto explains. Sakura sighs. You sit up and rub your head.  
>"Okay, Naruto.. Out!" Sakura demands.<br>"Hey. but Sakura-"  
>"Out."<br>Naruto sighs and leaves.  
>"Wow Sakura, I wish my teammates would obey me like that." You say.<br>"Were those two your teammates earlier?"  
>"Yep."<br>"Who's the one with the scars on his face? He looks hot." Sakura asks.  
>"Tamotsu.. But Sakura.. Believe me, I wouldn't want to go out with him.." You say.<br>"Hn? Why not?"  
>"One, he never listens, two, he's a pervert, and three, he's just a plain idiot." You say.<br>"Hm, sounds kinda like Naruto."  
>"No, trust me, Tam is worse. His scars prove it." You say. Sakura sighs, she had nothing to say back.<br>"Hm, what about the other one?"  
>"Yutaka? He's just as bad, except, rather the opposite. He's scared of everything."<p>

_~_~_~ [Naruto's POV:] ~_~_~_

"Tch, their probably talking about boys." I say to myself.  
>"Naruto! Good morning!" Iruka calls.<br>"Iruka-sensei!"  
>"It's been a long time, how have you been?" Iruka asks.<br>"I'm stronger now Iruka-sensei! Believe it!"  
>"Oh I believe it, Naruto. Say, you wanna get some ramen?" Iruka asks.<br>"What kind of ridiculous question is that! Of course!" I say.  
>"Alright then, come on." Iruka says, I smirk.<p>

"Miso Ramen please!" I order.  
>"Coming right up Naruto!" Ayame says over the counter.<p>

About 17 bowls later I was totally stuffed. "Thanks Iruka-sensei." I say and leave him behind to pay the bill.  
>"H-hey, N-Naruto!" He calls.<br>"Later!" I disappear.

"What to do.. I'm so bored.." I walk around.  
>"Hey Naruto-kun!" I turn around.<br>"What's up, Bushy-brows?" I ask. He seemed out of breath.  
>"Where's Sakura-san?"<br>"Probably still at Mari's.. Why?"  
>"Oh, good, oh yeah, Naruto, Lady Tsunade has a mission for us. It's a six man squad, you, me, Neji, Gai-sensei, Sakura and Mari." Lee explains.<br>"Why Neji!" I question.  
>"I dunno, Tsuande's orders. Now I gotta go get Sakura and Mari." Lee says and disappears. I shrug.<br>"Well, there's something to do, I guess." I head up to Granny Tsunade's office.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9  
><strong>

_~_~_~ [Lee's POV:] ~_~_~_

I knock on Mari's door and Sakura-chan answers.  
>"What is it Lee?" She asks. Saluting her, I reply; "We have been called to Lady Tsunade's office, you and Mari must head up there as soon as you can."<br>"Oh, right. Hold on." Sakura goes in to get Mari. Sakura and Mari come out, Mari still looks groggy.  
>"Will you be alright, Mari-san?" I ask. She nods.<br>"Good enough.. Lets go." Mari says.

"Lee! Mari! Sakura! What took you so long!" Tsunade questions.  
>"Uhh.. Sorry Tsunade-sama. We got held up.." Sakura replies.<br>"Hmm.. Alright. Now you six are going off on a mission together. This is an infiltration mission. You are assigned to invade the hideout of a gang called Kana." Tsunade explains.  
>"Wait, Kana?" You ask groggily.<br>"Yes-Mari, are you feeling alright?" Tsunade asks. Mari fakes a smile and nods.  
>"I'm fine, just a little tired, but I'll be fine." Mari says.<br>"Hm, alright. Now this is a frontal attack. I have chosen you six because two of you, can locate the hideout with your Byakugan, Mari, Neji, that's you. Three of you are excellent because of your taijutsu skills, Naruto, Lee, Gai, that's you. And Sakura as a medic, just in case. Now there are four of them. Their true strength is unknown but, with you lot they shouldn't be much of a problem, correct?" Tsunade explains. Me and Gai salute her and the rest of us nod.  
>"Alright! Some fun!" Naruto cheers.<p>

_~_~_~ [Your POV:] ~_~_~_

_'Ugh, great.. A mission.. That involves fighting.. The last thing I need right now.'_You sigh, Naruto goes to walk out when Sakura drags him back by the ear.  
>"Wait until she finishes dammit!" Sakura scolds. Tsunade clears her throat.<br>"So where abouts are they?" Neji asks.  
>"I cannot pin point them out, but, we have learned that they may be <em>in <em>the Land of Fire. So I would advise you not to split up unless it's an emergency. Scour the region if you find them, show no mercy. If not, report back." Tsunade says.  
>"So we have to explore the entire region of Fire?" Sakura asks. Tsunade nods.<br>"But! That could take days!" Naruto complains.  
>"Weeks." Tsunade says. You really did not feel up to this. "Mari, are sure your okay? If you're unwell I can put Hinata on instead."<br>"No, it's fine." You reply.. ... _'Why did i say that! I was gonna say yes.. Ugh..' ... _"Shit!" You run out of the office in a hurry.  
>"Mari!" Tsunade calls. Lee volunteered to chase after you.<p>

Out on the street lee was running beside you, after all, you weren't at your best.  
>"Where are you going?" Lee questions.<br>"I need to see my mom." You reply.  
>"But the mission?"<br>"Yes, I'll be going." You reply _'What the hell am i saying that for? I don't want to go.'  
><em>"What should I tell Tsunade-sama?"  
>"I'll be back in a few minutes." You say. Lee nods and goes back.<p>

You burst into your mom's hospital room shouting, "Mom!" She sits up.  
>"Mari? What is it?"<br>You walk up to her bed. "I've just been assigned on a mission.." You say. "And it may take weeks.."  
>"Oh, but what about the party? Your dad's anxious to see you again." Your mom says. You nod.<br>"Mom.. I don't want to go on this mission.." You say.  
>"Why, is it something bad? Scary? Dangerous?" She asks.<br>"No, it's just, i want to be home for the party.. And also.."  
>"Why is your face pale? Are you sick?"<br>"N-no it's just.." '_I can't tell her I got drunk! What will she think!'  
><em>"Just..?"  
>"Err.. A small.. Cold! Yeah.. Nothing too major." You fake a smile.<br>"Well, if you don't want to go, did you tell Tsunade-sama?"  
>"No.."<br>"Why not?"  
>"I.. I don't know. She offered to put Hinata on instead of me and I was going to say yes, but.. I don't know why, I said no, so now i have to go on this mission.. And I wont be home for the party.." You begin to get upset. "What should I do?"<br>"Mari, in your condition, you shouldn't be going on missions. You must tell Tsunade-sama." She says. Then at that moment you hear Tsunade's voice.  
>"Tell me what?" She asks, closing the door behind her. You turn around and walk up to her.<br>"Tsunade-sama, I'm sorry but I don't think I can handle a mission right now.. I'm not feeling too well." You confess.  
>"Oh? Then why didn't you say so before?" Tsunade asks.<br>"I.. Don't know.." You say. She suddenly looks at you in concern. "What?"  
>"Why are you swaying?" Tsunade asks.<br>"I'm not swa-"  
>"Yes, you are." Your mom says. Tsunade sits you on the visitor's chair and she feels your forehead.<br>"You're quite hot. Time for a check up." Tsunade says. She leans uncomfortably close to your face and smells your breath. "... So is that it? You've got a hangover?" Tsunade starts laughing.  
>"She what!" Your mom panics. "Mari!"<br>"It's not my fault mom! Lee got the alcohol out of the fridge last night as a drink!" You explain.. '_Shit.. I'm so busted..'  
><em>"Lee.. Was at our house last **night**!" Your mom sounded angry.  
>"I-it wasn't just him! Tam and Yutaka were there too!" You say.<br>"SO YOU GOT DRUNK WITH THREE BOYS IN THE HOUSE!" '_Shit how am I going to get out of this? Shit.. Shit..'  
><em>"Did they do anything to you?" Tsunade asks.  
>"I don't know." You say.<br>"Did they get drunk too?" Tsunade asks.  
>"Um.. Lee did.." You say. Your mom breathes in panic.<br>"You didn't.. Y'know.. With him!" You mom asks.  
>"NO!" You shout.. Though you were completely unsure, and Tsunade could see that. She sighs and sits down.<br>"Why do you want me to take a pregnancy test?" You question Tsunade.  
>"Just in case. You appear to have no memory of last night." Tsunade says. In her office, your mom was standing next to you with her arms folded.<br>"But what about the mission!" You ask.  
>"You're being taken off, I've already assigned Hinata to take your spot." Tsunade explains. "And yes, they're already gone." You sigh. You didn't know if you felt angry or relieved. But you did know you were in deep trouble.<br>"Mrs. Hyuuga, i will allow you to go home, but you must take it easy for the next 24 hours. Same goes for you, Mari. Too much moving around will cause you to vomit. The two of you must rest." Tsunade says. "Dismissed."  
>Your mom bows and yanks your hair to make you follow. you knew you were in for a shock when you got home.<br>The whole way your mom spoke nothing to you. She looked around at the surprisingly clean house, making her feel slightly happier. She sits in the recliner and stretches it out. "Mari, you must rest too, so please lay on the couch and get some sleep."  
>You sigh and do as she says. It didn't take you long to fall asleep.<p>

_"Mari, will you be my girlfriend?" Lee asks. You for some reason giggle at this and give him a hug.  
>"If you can beat me." You reply. He hits your face and your hit him back, this continued several times before he punched you and knocked you over.<br>Lee begins cheering. "Haha! And I win! I am stronger! You are now my girlfriend!" Lee lays slips over and falls on his butt. "Ouch.." You stand back up and look around, noticing you are in your lounge room. Two figures were watching, you could make one of them out as Tamotsu, but the other you couldn't focus. Lee holds his arms out. "Hug?" You smile and give Lee a hug, when you both fall over. Your grip on each other is firm._

You open your eyes to realise that was all a dream. Sighing, you stand up. Something about that dream.. Felt real.. You take 'the stick' with you to the bathroom, paranoid.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

The result showed you a negative. You sigh in great relief. So nothing _bad _happened. You go into the kitchen, trying to remember what happened. But you remembered that Tamotsu and Yutaka were there too, maybe you could ask them, though Yutaka didn't want to tell you for some reason.  
>"Tomorrow.." You say, remembering Tsunade's orders. You actually feel better after a nice rest, you take a shower.. Nice warm shower. You stood under the water, not really doing anything else. But you just couldn't get that dream out of your head.. You shivered at the thought of hugging a boy.. Especially Lee.. But what was this dream telling you?<p>

_~_~_~ [Lee's POV:] ~_~_~_

"They're just over there." Neji whispers.  
>"Wow, that was quick." I whisper.<br>"Now, lets think of a strategy to-"  
>"HEY YOU! WE'RE GONNA BEAT YOU ALL TO A PULP! BELIEVE IT!" Naruto shouts at the top of his voice, attracting their attention. Neji sighs.<br>"Idiot!" Sakura punches him. The four men laugh.  
>"Lee, Hinata, stay hidden." Neji says. I nod and crouch down lower. Naruto jumps out and carelessly attacks them, and of course, getting sent back to us with one kick. We all sweatdrop.<br>"This might work, if we make them lower their guard into thinking we're weak, they wont use their full strength." Neji whispers, as we watch Naruto repeat the exact same thing. Sakura was about to go and and assist when Neji stops her. "We need you to stay safe." Neji says. Sakura nods. "Lee, go and sneak up behind them, Gai-sensei, you too." Neji says. "Hinata, you stay here with me, we'll go in after their exhausted and attack with gentle fist and severely injure them." Hinata nods. So me and Gai-sensei move around and at the right time, charge in, right when they weren't expecting it.  
>"And a kick here, and a kick there~" I sing as I fight.<br>"And a punch here!~" Gai-sensei sings.  
>"Gai-sensei! Please to not sing." I say.<p>

"Two down, two to go!" Naruto cheers, then faces to the last two who appeared to be out of breath. Then Neji and Hinata jump out and begin attacking them, finishing them off.  
>"Well, that was too easy!" I say, wiping the sweat from my forehead.<br>"I agree with you, Lee." Gai-sensei says. "Now let's take 'em back and let Tsunade deal with them." Gai picks two of them up and carries them under his arms. I pick one up and Naruto gets the other.  
>"Well done." Tsunade smiles. "Dismissed." We all nod and I let everyone out before me and just as I was about to walk out; "Lee, I need to speak with you. I turn around and shut the door.<br>"What is it, Tsunade-sama?" I ask.  
>"Shizune, you may leave now." Tsunade says.<br>"Er, yes, m'lady." Shizune replies and leaves.  
>"Now, Lee.."<br>"Yes?"  
>"Last night, I hear you were at Mari's house.. Is this true?"<br>"Yes ma'am. That is true."  
>"Hm, what did you do there?"<br>"Uh, well Mari-san cooked us dinner in return for cleaning her house." I explain. She stares me as if she was waiting to hear something. "Uh.. And we slept over." I say.  
>"Who do you mean by 'we'?" She sounded concerned.<br>"Oh-um.. What are their names.. Ehh... The boys on her squad.." I say.  
>"Ah, Tamotsu and Yutaka."<br>"Yes! Them!"  
>"And what did you all get up to?"<br>"..." '_I can't tell her we got drunk.. I'll get Mari into trouble, and it's my fault for serving the alcohol.'_"Erm, we had dinner and.. Yeah.."  
>"Did you, do anything to Mari?"<br>"... Like what?" I ask.  
>".. Anything." Tsunade replies. This conversation just suddenly got awkward..<br>"Erm, not that I remember.." I say.  
>"You don't remember?"<br>"No ma'am. I don't actually remember anything after we had dinner actually.." I confess. "But! i do remember waking up tied to the couch." Tsunade stares blankly at me.  
>"You.. Were tied to the couch?"<br>"Yes.."  
>"... You may leave."<br>I bow and quickly walk out. '_Man, I hope i didn't do anything to Mari-san.. I should apologise..' _When I walk outside I notice it's night. "Tomorrow." i say to myself.  
>I lay in my bed staring at the ceiling. "But what if i didn't? i should ask one of her friends first.. Yeah, that's what I'll do. I'll ask them what happened." I nod at my decision and roll over to sleep.<p>

The rooster crows and I'm up... But a shower would be ideal..  
>So a quick shower later, I go off in search of one of her teammates. So I finally find one of them, the ginger haired one.<p>

"Hey, excuse me. May I talk to you?" I ask. He jumps, I must've startled him.  
>"Y-you.. Uh, I guess.." He replies.<br>"You're name is.. Yutaka, right?" I ask. He nods. "Right, i just want to ask about the previous night, at Mari's house.. I want to know what happened after we had dinner."  
>"W-well, you and Mari were drunk.. And yeah.."<br>"No, but what happened, what did I do?"  
>"Why do you ask?"<br>"Because I think I may have done something to her.."  
>"Well, it started off you going to give her a high five, but you hit her in the face, but she laughed about it. Then you both went out into the lounge room and you fell over, then she did. Um, then you.." He stopped.<br>"What! What did I do!"  
>He was about to speak when we were interrupted by Tamotsu. "Hey! it's you!" He says.<br>"Hello." I say.  
>"<em>Dyuu wanna be my gerlfrand?<em>" He says in a mocking tone.  
>".. What?" I ask, confused. Yutaka shyly looks at me. I back off. "Whoa, whoa, I-I'm not-"<br>"No! Don't be silly, I meant-" I back away further. ".. Thats what you said last night. i gasp.  
>"I.. WHAT?" I panic.<br>"Yeah, to Mari." Tamotsu laughs. Yutaka looks down. I feel slightly relieved, but.. I asked her out!  
>"Wh-what did she say?" I ask, worrying about the answer.<br>"Well, she didn't really answer, she just laughed and you gave her a hug." Tamotsu says. I blankly stare at him, then sigh in relief.  
>"Do you.. Really like her?" Yutaka asks. A blush comes across my face and I shake my head.<br>"N-no! I mean, not in that way!" I waves my hands around innocently. "I-I like S-Sakura-chan."  
>"Ooh! Sakura! The pink haired hotty eh?" Tamotsu asks. My eye twitches. "Heh, you got good taste man, well, I gotta go meet this blond chick that crawled all over me yesterday." He laughs and disappears. Me and Yutaka stare at each other.<br>"So.. You don't like her in that way?" Yutaka asks.  
>"Eh.. No.."<br>"Then why are you blushing?"  
>"Eh, no reason. I gotta go, good bye." I say and disappear.<p>

_'Phew.. That was close.. But.. Was I really blushing? I don't like Mari in that way.. what's going on?'_


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

_~_~_~ [Lee's POV:] ~_~_~_

"Perhaps I should go do something to put my mind at ease." I suggest to myself. "I know! I'll go do some training. That usually clears my mind." And with that, I go off to the dojo, though, I'm not sure why.. I always go to the training grounds.. So I wonder what made me go to the dojo..

Inside I see quite a few people training. "Alright, I'm going to give it my best!" I declare. I waltz right up to the punching bag and start punching. I felt eager today. "Alright 1,000 punches, followed by 2,000 push ups, then 3,000 chin ups!" I say.

_~_~_~ [Your POV:] ~_~_~_

What was this feeling? For some odd reason you wanted to go to the dojo and train. Is it because you haven't been there for the past two days? Yeah, that's gotta be it.  
>"Mom?" You ask, gently shaking her shoulder to wake her up.<br>"Hn? What is it dear?" She sleepily asks.  
>"I'm going to start making a cake for the party, after all dad should be home tomorrow hopefully." You say. Your mom sat up, she had slept in the recliner all night.<br>"Oh yes.. I'll go have a shower and freshen up." She says and does just that. You go into the kitchen and stretch.  
>"Lets do this." You eagerly say to yourself, grabbing out the ingredients.<p>

*Ding* You open the oven and pull out the perfect cake. You smile at your cake. Perhaps you were beginning to become a better cook than your mom. You start icing the cake and in chocolate icing, your mom writes: 'Welcome Home'.  
>You both smile at the finished product. "Mari, it's beautiful."<br>"Thanks mom." You smile. It seems she's forgiven you.  
>"Take these and invite whoever you want." You mom hands you a few pieces of paper. You take them and run up stairs into your room. You sat at your desk and start writing the invites.<p>

"Hm, Sakura.. Tamotsu.. Yutaka.. Naruto.. Hmm who else? Oh, Neji, he might want to come too... Who am I forgetting? I feel like I'm forgetting the most important person.. Why is that? Hmm..! LEE! How could I forget!" You write Lee's invitation extra neat. So off you go to give out the invitations.

"Now just Lee's.. Where would he be?" You look all around for him but have no luck.  
>You sigh. You could feel your energy about to burst out of you. "Right, I'll find Lee later, I'm gonna train for the first time in 48 hours." You declare.<p>

In the dojo are more people than you expected. Oh well. You walk up to a punching bag and focus your energy when you hear; "890... 891... 892... 893..." You turn around and there he was. Lee, doing push ups, sweat was dripping down from his face. You don't know why, but you blush seeing his determined face. You decide to let him finish, so you turn back around and start punching. This felt good. All that energy you had been storing, finally being released.

Minutes later you find yourself getting right into it. In the background you could hear Lee, still counting. "1,302... 1,303.. 1,304.." _'What's he counting to?' _You shake your head. _'I can do better.'  
><em>You punch harder, until your fists begin to bleed. But you don't feel the pain, rather, it made you feel stronger.

_~_~_~ [Lee's POV:] ~_~_~_

"1,310... 1,311..." _'Who ever is punching that punching bag must be full of strength, they haven't stopped for like 6 minutes now.' _Doing these push ups made it hard to look up, so I just kept doing them, not bothering to look.

"1,996... 1,997... 1,998... 1,999... 2,000!" I jump to my feet and cheer for myself. Then I heard someone applauding me. It was Mari..  
>"Mari-san!" I wipe the pool of sweat from my forehead. Mari hands me a drink bottle, a slight blush comes across my face.. But why? "Thank you, Mari-san." I take a nice big gulp of the ice cold water.<br>"Wow Lee, I haven't seen anyone do 2,000 push ups before, I'm impressed." She says. My face becomes redder.  
>"Heh, thanks." I say, rubbing the back of my head.<br>"Lee? You should sit down, your face is red as." She says.. '_Is it really! Oh no..'_ I nod and sit down, pretending I was overheating.I look at her. She seemed so caring towards me.. It was almost like I felt weak at the knees when I see her smile.. But why? I don't like her in that way, I like Sakura!

_~_~_~ [Your POV:] ~_~_~_

_'He seems so fidgety.. Why? It's like he's become shy or something..' _"Hey, Lee, you wanna come to the party?" You ask and hand him the envelope. Lee was hesitant to take it.  
>"Thanks Mari-chan." He says, he then looks up in shock of what he just said, you also slightly gasp. But your surprised expression fades and replaces with a happy one.<br>"You're welcome Lee." You smile.

_~_~_~ [Lee's POV:] ~_~_~_

I look up at her smile. My heart began to beat faster. '_No! I like Sakura!'_

_~_~_~ [Your POV:] ~_~_~_

Lee stands up and smiles back at you. "I cannot wait until this party, I believe it will be fun." Lee says.  
>You nod. "I'll see you then." You say. Lee nods.<br>"Yes, have a good day, Mari-_sa_n." Lee replies, and walks out.  
>So you continue training. Kicks, punches, and more techniques. You wondered what had gotten into Lee recently. He seems more shy towards you.. But, no.. He can't like you, he likes Sakura. Yes, he does.. Speaking of which..<br>You decide to pay Sakura a visit.. Just in case.

She was watching her teammates, Naruto and Sasuke spar. They were obviously training. You approach her.  
>"Good er, morning Sakura-san." You say. Sakura turns around and smiles at you.<br>"Good morning Mari-san! I can't wait until the party!" Sakura excitedly says. You smile back at her and sit beside her.  
>"Yeah, it should be fun."<br>"Something wrong?"  
>"Nah, just bored." You say.<br>"Oh, okay. I'm glad you came, I was getting bored myself." Sakura laughs, you laugh with her.  
>"Say, Sakura, have you noticed anything different about Lee lately?" You ask.<br>"Lee? I haven't seen him lately, why, whats going on?" Sakura asks.  
>"Oh I don't know, he just seems.. Distracted." You say.<br>"Oh, maybe something happened to him." Sakura suggests. You hadn't thought of that, but maybe you shouldn't think too much of it.  
>"Hey Sakura, I saw him training earlier, you should really see how hard he trains." You say. Sakura looks at you. "He's so determined to at least get your attention, you know."<br>"Really?"  
>"Yeah. But what worries me is, he pushes himself." You say.<br>"Oh, did he hurt himself?"  
>"No, it's just.. I've never seen someone do 2,000 push ups before." You say. Sakura gasps.<br>"2,000!"  
>"Yeah, I watched him the whole time, well, I was training too, but i could hear him." You say.<br>"He.. Really did that many?"  
>"Yeah, just because he wants your attention. Sakura, I don't want to see him hurt himself, so can you please consider going on a date with him? Just once!" You say. Sakura looks down to think about it.<br>"Hm I guess I should. Where is he now?" Sakura asks.  
>"Oh, I dunno where he went, try looking for his squad or something." You suggest. Sakura nods.<br>"Kakashi-sensei?" Sakura calls to a nearby tree. You notice Kakashi relaxing on a branch, reading Icha Icha Paradise. He moves his book to the side a bit.  
>"Hn?"<br>"May I leave? I have something to do." Sakura asks.  
>"Yep." Kakashi replies, going straight back to his book.<br>"Thanks Sakura, this really means a lot to him." You say and stand up. Sakura nods. You giggle. "And who knows, maybe you just might come back with a different opinion of him?"  
>Sakura looks at you. "Heh, I don't know about that." You both exchange smiles and she disappears. You turn back to Naruto and Sasuke.. Sasuke.. You watch him, seeing his dark eyes.. You've only met Itachi once.<p>

**.:Flashback:.**

_"Come on Mari! Keep up!" Reiko calls, running ahead of you.  
>"Reiko! Slow up a bit! You know I'm not as fit as you!" You call back. Reiko laughs and slows down to a walk.<br>"Mari, do you think we should train more often?" Reiko asks.  
>"Naah, training is no fun." You reply.<br>"Totally right!" Reiko says. You give each other a high five. "Oh! Sasuke!"  
>You look and see Itachi carrying Sasuke. They looked like they had been training.<br>_"Heh, hello Reiko." Sasuke says.  
>"Oh, is this Itachi?" Reiko asks. Itachi smiles and nods.<br>_"Yes, I am Itachi."  
>"Itachi!" You exclaim. He looks at you. "You're so cool! You must be the most profound ninja in Konoha!"<br>Itachi laughs. "Well, I am quite good, but I don't think I'm the best ninja in Konoha."  
>"Yeah you are! I believe you are!" You say. Itachi smiles at you.<br>"Well, we'll be on our way." Itachi says, taking Sasuke home._

**.:End Flashback:.**

You sigh. Poor Sasuke, he was so close to Itachi, and now he has lost all respect for him. "Reiko.." You mumble. You decide to visit her grave.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

_~_~_~ [Lee's POV:] ~_~_~_

I'm sitting on a bench, thinking only of when I addressed her 'chan'. Why am I getting that way around her?  
>"Lee?"<br>I look up and see beautiful Sakura smiling at me. My heart races as I stand up. "Good morning Sakura-san!" I say.  
>"Hey, Lee, come for a walk with me." Sakura says.<br>"A walk? Sure." I say. This _has_ to be a dream.. That's coming true. '_I wonder if Mari-san did this for me.'_I smile.  
>"So, Lee. I hear you've been training hard lately.." Sakura says.<br>"Yes, I sure have." I say. "And it's all for you, Sakura-san." For the first time ever, Sakura did not hit me, she just giggled. She must be changing her mind about me.  
>"Lee, I've considered.. You remember the other day when you asked me out on a date?"<br>"Yes?" I eagerly await her next sentence.  
>"I.. I've decided to agree. What do you say about tonight?" Sakura asks.<br>"Sure thing Sakura-chan!" I say. Sakura smiles.  
>"I'm sure you'll come and pick me up at 6, right?" Sakura asks.<br>"Sure! I promise I will be right on time!" I declare. Sakura giggles.

I wait outside her door watching my watch. 3.. 2.. 1.. *Knock Knock*. Sakura answers pretty much straight away, she seemed to be on her way out anyway.  
>"I am right on time!" I declare. Sakura giggles.<br>"So you are." Sakura puts her shoes on and calls out to her mom, saying goodbye.

The sun was half set. "Come, Sakura-chan, I have something special to show you." I say, holding her hand. I take her to a hill. It's a hidden spot, not many people know of it. The fields of flowers swaying in the gentle wind in the sunset was so beautiful from this view. Sakura looked infatuated at the sight.  
>"Lee. This is.. Beautiful." Sakura smiles.<br>"Just like you, Sakura-chan." I say. She faces me and smiles.

We lay in the field until the sun sets. We decide to go and have dinner. I order spicy rice curry and she orders anko dumplings.  
>We eat and laugh together. Such a fun night, until the time came to take her home. I stand there while she unlocks the door. Sakura turns back around to me.<br>"Lee, thanks for a great time." Sakura smiles.  
>"Anytime." I say. Sakura leans closer. This is where I'm supposed to kiss her, I shall give her the greatest kiss of her life. I lean down and caress her face. Our foreheads touched. I was about to give her, her ultimate kiss when she came into my mind... Mari.. All I could see was her face.. Her kind gentle smile.. Her awesome fighting skills she demonstrated in our spar.. Her short smooth crystal blue hair.. Her.. Glistening eyes..<br>I gently pull away from Sakura. What's happening to me?  
>"Lee? What is it?" Sakura asks.<br>"I... Nothing, h-have a good night, Sakura-chan." I say, taking my hand away from her face. She gives me a half disappointed look and goes inside. I sigh and start walking back to my house.

_~_~_~ [Sakura's POV:] ~_~_~_

'_What happened? I swear he was about to kiss me! Why didn't he?' _I go into my room and shut the door. I look out my window and see Lee walking off, with his head down. He looked like he was regretting something. '_Cha! He should be regretting not kissing me!'_ I shut my curtains and change into my pj's. I get comfortable in bed. Then I remember what Mari said to me earlier today.  
>"<em>Oh I don't know, he just seems.. Distracted."<em> I roll over.  
>"I wonder what's going on.." I yawn and fall asleep.<p>

_~_~_~ [Lee's POV:] ~_~_~_

Staring out my window, into the night.  
>"What's wrong with me? Sakura is the girl I love, why couldn't I bring myself to confess it by kissing her? Why did Mari come into my head just at that moment? Could it be possible.. That maybe I am falling in love with her?" I sigh. "I feel like I'm being torn two ways. I've liked Sakura for ages, then Mari comes along.. I do like her. She's my type of girl. She.. She pays attention to me. And not once has she made fun of my eyebrows like every other person.. She's so.. So.. Invaluable.. But.. Sakura... Mari... Nrghh. I<em>am<em> being torn." I turn around facing my messy room. "But which way do I go? I must decide before I do anything else with them.. Oh! Mari's party is tomorrow." I close my eyes. "What do I do?"


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

You wake up the next morning, you feel prepared as ever for this party. You couldn't stop thinking about meeting your dad again. After all, 3 years is a long time, yeah?

You stand outside the door welcoming guests as they enter; Tamotsu, Yutaka are the first ones, of course. Followed by Neji. You exchange smiles as he enters.. '_Wait for it..'  
><em>"Neji! Is that you? My gosh look how you've grown!" Your mom gets excited. You had to laugh, trying to picture his facial expression right now. "Hey hey! The life of the party has arrived!" Naruto announces as he approaches.  
>"Morning Naruto."<br>He grins at you. "Mari, is Sakura-chan here yet?"  
>"Nope, not yet." You say.<br>"Yes!" Naruto cheers and runs inside. You suppose he's making the most of not being scolded by Sakura. '_Come on Lee..'_ You look around for Lee and Sakura, but you don't see them. It's odd, you know Lee likes to be on time for everything.. Maybe he didn't want to come.. You felt slightly depressed. So you go inside, your aunts and uncles and other family are here too. Naruto and Tamotsu are arguing about who's better, Yutaka is politely speaking with Neji and your mom. You look at Neji and smile, remembering the times when Reiko tried to hook you two up. Neji never took it seriously, which kinda ruined the fun side of it, but it's good for memories.

"Sorry I'm late." Sakura says, walking through the door. You turn around and smile.  
>"You're not late Sakura." You say. "Oh oh! Sakura!"<br>"Hm?"  
>"How did it go? Y'know, with Lee?"<br>"Oh.. Yeah.. It was good." Sakura replies.  
>"What happened?" You ask.<br>"Well, it was like, one of the best nights of my life, but.."

"When the time came, he was about to kiss me, like an inch away, then he pulled back." Sakura replies.  
>"He.. What?"<br>"He said he had to go, but it was just like you said, he seemed distracted.." Sakura explains. You sigh.  
>"Sakura.. Did he say anything else after that?" You ask, hoping to hear something good.<br>"Yeah, he just said to have a good night.."  
>You look down, you felt sorry for her. '<em>Lee didn't kiss her? But why? That was like, his golden opportunity.. Why did he pass it up?'<br>_"Maybe I could ask him what's wrong when he comes." You suggest, Sakura nods.

"Everybody!" Yutaka shouts. We all look at him. "He's coming!"  
>Everyone got excited and hid. This is one of the reasons mom wanted me to invite Yutaka, 'cause he's a sensory type.<br>The door handle turns and the door opens, revealing a figure. The figure stood there.  
>"Welcome home?" He asked, looking at the banner hanging over the arch that leads into the lounge room.<br>"Welcome home!" We all shout, coming out from our hiding spots. The man laughed. You run straight up to him and gave him a hug. "Welcome home, dad."  
>"Mari, is that you? Wow, you've grown. You're catching up to me." He laughs.<p>

Your dad told everyone about his journey home. Apart from your mom, you don't think anyone was actually listening. You weren't. You were watching the door, waiting for him to come. For some reason, you felt like the party wasn't complete without him. A bad feeling started to grow in your gut.  
><em>'What if something happened to him, and now he can't come?'<em> "Lee.." You mutter. You wanted to go out and search for him, but that was a definite no no.

So the day passed. Naruto and Tamotsu became good friends, and they're the ones that ate most of the cake. You and Neji reminisced about the good old times when Reiko tried to set you two up, even Neji found it funny now.  
>So everyone was leaving. You kinda felt heartbroken because he didn't show up. Sakura was last to leave.<br>"Sakura, if you see Lee.. Tell him I hope he's okay.." You say. Sakura nods.  
>"I hope he's okay too." Sakura replies. "Night.."<br>"Good night.."  
>You close the door behind her and sigh. "Well, ain't you looking down, what's wrong?" Asks your dad.<br>"Nothin', really. It's just, one of my friends is.. Sick." You say.  
>"Oh, well I hope their alright. Come, lets go get some dinner and go to bed." He says. You shake your head.<br>"I'm full, I think I'll just go straight to bed. I don't feel that well either." You say, holding your hand over your stomach. But it was true, your stomach did churn.  
>"Alright, good night Mari." He says.<br>"G'night, dad." You feebly smile and go up to your bed. As you're getting changed, you realised your stomach churned not only from the amount of food you ate, but it was a feeling of anxiety about Lee. Why didn't he turn up? Why did you feel the need to see him again?

You had trouble sleeping that night. You got up early the next morning and got dressed. You still had that same pain in your gut. You sat down on your bed, holding your stomach. Your mom comes in.  
>"Mom, what're you doing up so early?" You ask.<br>"I'd ask the same thing, are you going out?"  
>"Soon."<br>She sits next to you on your bed. "Stomach ache?"  
>You half nod. "Yeah.. Sort of."<br>"Do you want some medication for it?"  
>"No.. I think its more anxiety.."<br>"About what?" She sounded really concerned. You look at her. Maybe if you told her all these odd feelings you've been getting, she might be able to help you.  
>"Well, lately.. I've been getting weird feelings. Like yesterday for example, I felt like my mind was telling me to go to the dojo. When I did go there.. Lee.. Was there.. And, my heart raced." You explain. "It's never happened before.."<br>Your mom smiles at you. "Aw, my little girl is falling in love."  
>"No... I.. I don't like him in that way!" You state.<br>"Trust me dear, when you get that way around a particular boy, it means you're in love." She says. "Same thing happened with me and your father. I didn't know what it was either, but I figured it out."  
>You look away from her, holding your stomach tighter. "I'm.. Worried about him, mom."<br>"Hn?"  
>"He didn't show yesterday.."<br>"Well, maybe he had other things planned." She suggests. You didn't think of that. But.. He did say he'd see you there.  
>"Mom, he told me he was coming." You say.<br>"Oh?"  
>"He did, and he didn't come." You say. "But, he seems to have a lot of things on his mind lately.. I'm worried something bad happened and he can't stop thinking about it.."<br>"Why don't you go ask him?" You look at your mom.  
>"Because.. I don't want to seem like.. Y'know, I'm invading his privacy.."<br>"No, ask him. Sometimes when people are like that, they may want to have someone ask them about it. If he doesn't want you to know he simply wont tell you."  
>"Alright. I'll ask him." You say, standing up. Your mom smiles at you.<p> 


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

You love your mom. But, who would've thought.. You're in love. All these years, you have had no interest for boys, not the slightest bit. And now you find yourself in love with someone you've met only a few days ago.

You were on your way to the dojo, to hopefully see him, your gut still churned. But you were stopped by Mr. Believe it.  
>"Morning Mari!" Naruto grins.<br>".. You're up early." You say.  
>"Yeah, ol' granny Tsunade made me get up. So anyway, I saw bushy-brow an-" Your face went red. "... You alright?"<br>"Yeah, continue."  
>"Hm, Alright, so I saw bushy-brow and he told me, to tell you, that he was sorry he couldn't make it yesterday 'cause of some sort of mission or something." Naruto explains. Hearing that made you feel slightly relieved. But you still wanted to see him.<br>"Alright, I was on my way to see him about that anyway. Thanks Naruto."  
>"Oh yeah! One more thing, granny Tsunade told me to get a team together for this mission. D'you wanna come?"<br>"Uh, depends, what's the mission?"  
>"Well, we have to find some sort of flower, and I thought that maybe your Byakugan could help."<br>"Hm, I suppose it could, but mine isn't as good as Neji's." You say.. Unfortunately, it was true. Even Hinata's Byakugan was better than yours.  
>"Yeah, but I don't like Neji, and Hinata is.. Well, weird. So I figured, 'cause you're cool, you can come." Naruto says.<br>"Thanks Naruto. Sure, I'll come, who else is going?" You ask.  
>"I don't know yet." Naruto replies, scratching his chin. "Who do you think?"<br>"Hm, someone that knows something about flowers.." You say. Naruto gasps.  
>"Not Ino!" Naruto complains.<br>"Ino?"  
>"She's a florist and-"<br>"Florist? That's perfect, come on Naruto!" You grab his arm and drag him to the florist shop, you see that blond girl that was with Sakura the other day, working here.  
>"Oh, good morning Naruto, Mari." She says.<br>"Ino, d'you wanna come on a mission with us?" Naruto asks.  
>"What kind of mission?"<br>"Looking for some sort of flower." Naruto replies.  
>"Hm, I suppose. Hey mom, I gotta go." Ino replies, taking her apron off.<p>

"Wow Naruto I'm impressed with your decision." Tsunade says. "But why not Hinata or Neji?"  
>"'Cause Hinata's weird and I don't like Neji." Naruto replies in a 'matter of fact' tone.<br>"Hm, alright. This flower should be located on the borderline of the Land of Fire. Bring it back alive." Tsunade says. You all bow and leave.

"Alright, we'll meet up at the gates in 10." Ino says.  
>"Yep, sure." You reply. Naruto huffs and disappears.<p>

"Mom, I'm going on a mission, I'll be back.. When I get back." You say, walking down the stairs.  
>"Did you see Lee?"<br>You pause in your tracks. You'd completely forgotten about it. "Oh, well, Naruto said he had a mission yesterday. So he couldn't come." You reply.  
>"See? I told you it wouldn't be too serious." Your mom replies. You nod.<br>"I guess you're right. Well, I'll see you when I get home." You say and leave. At the gate Ino was already waiting.

"Naruto?" You ask. She shakes her head.  
>"Not yet." She sighs.<p>

"I'm here!" Naruto calls, finally arriving.  
>"Naruto! I said 10 minutes! Not 20!" Ino snaps. <em>'Wow she's just as bad as Sakura..'<br>_"Alright alright, geez. Lets go and get this stupid flower so I can get back and have some tasty Miso Ramen!" Naruto cheers. And so you were off.

Hours later you find yourselves getting closer to the border. "Byakugan!" You look around and see just the usual flowers and such. "Naruto, show me the picture again."  
>He shows you. "Right, blue petals, black center.. 'Kay." You continue searching. Though your Byakugan wasn't really made for this kind of thing.<p>

You eventually found it with the help of Ino and her expertise on flower nature. You pot it and head back. You get there just after lunch.

"Well done. Dismissed." Tsunade says.  
>"Alright! Hey, Mari, wanna come get some ramen with me?" Naruto asks.<br>"Sure, you're paying though." You reply. You knew how much he eats there.  
>"Ugh, fine." Naruto replies.<p>

"One bowl of Miso Ramen please!" Naruto orders.  
>"Yeah, I'll have the same." You order.<br>"Sure thing." Ayame says over the counter. "Here you are."  
>Naruto pulls a pair of chopsticks and snaps them apart. "Mmm.. *Slurp* Ah, that was good."<br>You turn to him. He had eaten that entire bowl already, you had only had two mouthfuls. '_I'm so glad he's paying.' _He orders another few bowls.

Naruto pats his belly and pays the bill. "Well, I'll see ya, Mari." Naruto says and leaves. You were just finishing your last mouthful.  
>"Y'know, if it weren't for Naruto, imagine how broke we'd be." Ayame laughs, you laugh with her.<p>

Now it's time to find Lee. You need to ask him what's going on, if he's okay. But you can't tell him that you're actually in love with him. You just can't, after all, he likes Sakura, right?

You just so happen to see him walking around miserably. You run up to him, your aching was gone now.  
>"Lee!" You call. He immediately looks at you.<br>"Oh, Mari-san. H-how are you?" He asks. You felt yourself blush slightly.  
>"I'm fine, how about you?"<br>"I'm.. Fine." He replies, giving you a feeble smile.  
>"Lee.. You can tell me." You say. He looks away from you.<br>"No.. I can't.." He replies. ... ... ...  
>"Lee, Sakura told me you.. Took her out on a date.. And.. Well.. She was a little.. Disappointed when you didn't-"<br>"I know.." Lee cut you off, still not looking at you.  
>"Is there a reason?" You ask.<br>"... I can't say." He replies. He seemed like he didn't want to talk to you, he was trying so hard not to look at you.

You gulp in preparation of your next question. "Did.. I do something to you?" Lee's eyes widen and he looks at you.  
>"No! Don't say that! You didn't do anything. Do not blame yourself for anything." He scolds.<p>

_~_~_~ [Lee's POV:] ~_~_~_

Did I really just yell at her? Mari leans away from me. I felt so bad now. But, there's no way I can tell her.. I still cannot I just burst out on her like that. I try to keep myself from crying.  
>"You did nothing, so don't go thinking you did." I softly say, and look away from her before I start crying.<br>"Then.. Why aren't you facing me?" Mari asks. I cringe at her question. _'….'_ I look back at her, at her concerned expression. I could tell she was really worried about me.. I cannot tell her though. Then it happened.. Looking at her worried face, a tear leaks from my eye.  
>"Lee? You can tell me.. I swear, I will help you get through it." Mari says. I felt my breath shake.<br>"I... Can't." I reply.

"Lee.."  
>"I'm sorry Mari-san.. But as much as I want to tell you.. I cannot." I say, wiping the tear away.<p>

"Then it must involve me.. Lee, if I've done something, I'd want to know about it.." Mari says. I blink at her, and turn away.  
>"It's nothing Mari-san.. Please do not worry about me." I say, completely turning around so my back was facing her.<br>"Lee, I will care.. Because I lo-.. Because you're my friend." I turn around.  
>"What were you going to say?" I ask.<br>"N-nothing.." Her eyes wondered. "I just care about you, 'cause your a good friend Lee." She says.

"No," I shake my head. I wanted to hear this. "please, tell me, what were you about to say?"  
>Mari shakes her head, a notice a tear fall from her eye. "Mari-san.. Please.."<p>

"I can't say Lee.." She says, looking down.

_~_~_~ [Your POV:] ~_~_~_

'_I can't just tell him, it wont only hurt him, but Sakura as well. It wouldn't be fair on them.'_ "It's.. Personal." You finish. Lee looks away from you again. There was a moment of silence before Lee spoke in a soft voice.  
>"Gai-sensei says that when a heart is torn two ways, it tends to fall apart and the soul is lost."<p>

You look up at him, he was still not looking at you. You say nothing. _'What does he mean?'_ Lee sighs.  
>"I am sorry, Mari-san.. But I need to speak to someone.. I will see you again.. Soon.." Lee says, and disappears. He didn't even look at you before he left. Not even a glimpse.<p>

You sigh. '_I almost let it slip out. I don't know if I can keep it in.. I need to tell Sakura before I end up hurting her.'_

You go off in search of her. You find her lazing around with Naruto and Sasuke, they were obviously waiting for Kakashi. She sees you coming, it was hard to hide your depressed expression. Sakura came running over to you.

"Mari! Mari! What's wrong!"  
>"I need to.. Speak with you." You mutter.<br>"Mari? Are you alright?" Naruto asks.  
>"Naruto, let me handle this." Sakura replies, Naruto nods showing no intention of talking back. You and Sakura take a walk.<p>

You waited until you two were a fair distance away until you began speaking.

"Sakura.. How.. How much do you like Lee?" You ask.

"Lee?.. Well, I consider him a friend, I don't really intimately like him." Sakura explains.  
>"So.. You don't have any.. Feelings of.. Love.. Towards him?" You ask.<br>"No, not really. I just went on the date to keep him happy, like you said." Sakura smiles at you.

"Okay... Are you sure?" You ask, just making sure. Sakura looks at you strangely.  
>"I'm sure, I don't think I could say I'd feel <em>that<em> close to him. Friends is close enough... Why do you ask?"  
>"Well, Sakura.. I think I'm.."<br>Sakura happily gasps. "You're in love!" She cheers.  
>"..Yeah..." You shyly admit. Sakura does that girly squeal.<br>"Oh my goodness Mari-san! You're in love with Le-"  
>"Shush! You don't know who could be listening." You say. Sakura gives you an innocent smile. "I couldn't tell him before, 'cause I was worried.. You know.. I felt like would've been taking him away from you.."<br>"No, go for it Mari-san! I've got my eyes on Sasuke-kun." She giggles. You smile back at her.  
>"Sakura, how would I tell him?" You ask.<br>"Well, wait for him to approach you. Then when he's ta-"  
>"Sakura, he was hiding something from me before.. I'm concerned about something he said." You say.<br>"Hn?"  
>"<em>'When a heart is torn two ways, it tends to fall apart and the soul is lost'<em>." Sakura gasps. "I wasn't too sure what he meant."  
>"Poor Lee."<br>"What does he mean?"  
>"When a boy says something like that, it means they feel like their heart is reaching out to two people but he is confused about which way. Aw, he must like you too." Sakura smiles.<br>"Really? Well.. Come to think of it.. He called me Mari-chan, and he seemed like it slipped out.. He blushed after he said it-" You were cut off by Sakura's giggles.

"You gotta find him again, and-"  
>"Oh, Sakura-san!" It was Lee, jumping down from the trees. He didn't notice you. "May I speak with y-... Mari-san.. Uh.. I am sorry. I am not interrupting anything am I?" asks a concerned Lee. Me and Sakura look at each other.<br>"Not at all!" Sakura replies. You disappear to give them some privacy.


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15**

_~_~_~ [Lee's POV:] ~_~_~_

I watch Mari disappear, she just captured my attention entirely.. I wonder what she was talking to Sakura about..  
>"Lee?" Sakura snaps me out of my daze.<br>"Oh, right. Uh Sakura-san.. I uh.. I.. I don't want to seem rude or anything, but do you think we could just be friends?" I ask. Her expression surprised me, she smiled. I was expecting a look of disappointment.  
>"Sure Lee." She happily said.<br>"I am sorry."  
>"Don't be, it's fine Lee. We all get those people who we think we love, then it turns out it just wasn't meant to be." Sakura says. I think about this for a second.<br>"You understand? I am sorry about that night. I.. I just felt like something was wrong about-"  
>"It's fine Lee." Sakura smiles and puts her hand on my shoulder. I smile back at her.<br>"Thank you for understanding, Sakura-san." I bow my head to her.  
>"I don't mind Lee, if there's someone else out there, go for her." Sakura says. Mari's face came straight back into my mind. I blush slightly.<br>"Uh.. Th-thank you Sakura-san. I'll be seeing you then." I say. Sakura nods.

I go off to find Mari. Now that my confession to Sakura went smoothly, I was left in a better mood. Now I can tell Mari.. I stop. "Or should I?" I stood there blankly staring ahead of me. "But, I suppose.. She was worrying about me greatly before.. It may be for the best." I smile and nod at my decision. I hold a determined fist to the air. "Yes! I will tell her! I will swear to protect her. I want to be there for her!" I run ahead, and not too long before I say Mari standing on the top of a tree. I didn't know how I noticed her up there, but I'm glad I did. I was about to jump up when she took one big jump off, I felt worried that she will hurt herself when she lands.. But no, she lands perfectly on her knees. She stood up and started walking.  
>"Mari-san!" I call out, she stopped.<p>

_~_~_~ [Your POV:] ~_~_~_

_'Is that really him? Or is it just his voice I'm imagining?' _You turn around and see him standing there. He looks rather happy.  
>"Lee.. Are you feeling alright?" You ask. Lee gives you a thumbs up.<br>"I sure am!" He announces, then walks up to you.  
>There was a second of silence. You both say each other's names at the exact same time. You both laugh about it.<br>"Y-you go first." Lee says.  
>"N-no.. You." You disagree.<br>"No, I insist."  
>"Erm.. Alright." You clear your throat. You take a deep breath. "Lee I.." You stop. You just couldn't say it, you felt too embarrassed.<br>"Go on Mari-san, you can tell me anything." Lee says. You smile at him and nod.  
>"I.." You sigh. "Lee, I'm in love with you." You confess, you felt yourself cover in goosebumps and you don't dare to look at Lee's expression.<br>He stared at you in disbelief.

_~_~_~ [Lee's POV:] ~_~_~_

_'Did she just say.. What I thought she said?'_ I couldn't believe it. Is this really happening? Is this a dream? Mari was looking away from me, unable to hide an extremely red face. I swallow the saliva in my mouth then go to speak. "M-Mari-chan.. I.. What I couldn't tell you before.." She looked back at me. "I couldn't say it because I thought I would hurt Sakura-san.. But after talking to her about it.. I can tell you now."  
>"What is it.. Lee?"<br>"I.. I also.." _'How do I say this? Where's my confidence gone?'_ "I uh.. I-I love you." '_There I said it, the hard part is over.'_ Mari's eyes fill with tears. They run down her face when she blinks.  
>"L-Lee.." She gave me a hug. I close my eyes, and embrace her.<p>

_~_~_~ [Your POV:] ~_~_~_

His strong arms wrapped around you made you feel safe from anything. Like nothing could touch you. You felt warm inside his embrace.  
>This is a feeling you did not want to end.<br>"Mari-chan?" Lee softly asks, leaning his lips against your ear.  
>"Yes?"<br>"Will you be my girlfriend?"  
>"Of course." You reply, tightening your grip.<br>"Th-thank you, Mari-chan, I feel like you have just repaired my heart." He says, holding you closer, if that was possible.

Eventually that warm moment was ruined by Mr. Loud Mouth.  
>"Bushy-brow! Mari! What are you doing?" Naruto worryingly inquires. You two break apart and blush.<br>"Heh, we were.. Just.. It's none of your business!" You scold, bringing yourself together.  
>"You were—were... Hugging!" Naruto exclaims. You and Lee look at each other and laugh. You weren't gonna get out of this smoothly.<br>"Wait 'till Sakura-chan hears about this." Naruto says.  
>"Er, Naruto-" Lee was cut off by someone jumping down from the trees.<br>"There you are! Lee!" It was Neji, he was followed by Tenten.. Then of course.. Gai.  
>"Lee! You didn't show up for training, I was worried you had fallen sick or something." Gai says.<br>"Er, Gai-sensei!" Lee runs up to him and salutes to him. "I am sorry." Gai's attention turns to you and he grins.  
>"I understand now Lee! You were keeping your girlfriend company, yes?"<br>Lee leans his head back and a red flush comes across both of your faces. You can't deny it now.

You all walk back to the village together. "Haha! Bushy-brows and.. Mari! Sittin' in a tree-" Tenten slaps Naruto to shut him up. "Geez! Why do all you girls hit hard?" Naruto sulks rubbing his cheek. "Say, I gotta think of a nickname for you Mari."  
>"Oh, no, that's fine, Narut-"<br>"How about..."  
>"Naruto.." You mutter.<br>"Awesome Hyuuga girl!" Naruto suggests.  
>".. No." You reply.<br>"Mariiii... Mariii... Err.. Mar-"  
>"Knock it off." You say.<br>"Mmmaaaa-" You slap him. "OOOOWWWWWW!" He jumps around holding his cheek. "Ow ow ow.. Damn it Mari! That stung! Believe it!"  
>"I know it did.." You say, waving your hand, it probably hurt your hand more than it hurt his face.<br>"Haha! Naruto! When you have been hit two times in a row by two different girls, it means bad luck." Gai says.  
>"You should know." Naruto grumbles. Gai stops, and his eye twitches. He then slumps his shoulders and his head goes down.<br>"That is one day I want to forget." Gai sulks. Neji just sighs and continues walking.  
>"Well, I should be getting home." You say, breaking the awkward silence.<br>"Oh, would you like me to walk you home?" Lee asks.  
>"Sure." You reply.<p>

And so he does. You stand on the door step, staring into the orbs that are called eyes of the boy you have fallen in love with.  
>"Would you like to come in?" You ask.<br>"Uh, well, if you would really like me to, sure." He says. You two go upstairs into your bedroom. Lee makes your bed.. Now that was awkward.  
>"Eh, you don't have to do that." You say. Lee smiles.<br>"No I'm just pulling the blanket up so we can sit on it." Lee exclaims. But, he was tucking the blankets in neatly, rather, making it. You decide to let him do it. So Lee sits on your bed and you lay on it, your head in his lap. It was quite comfortable. You felt him tense up at first, but he relaxed himself and leaned against the wall.

There was a silence, it wasn't weird, it was comforting for the both of you.

Then Lee cleared his throat. "I wonder what I would be doing now if I hadn't gone to the dojo that day." Lee says. You smile.

"Mm.." You felt like you could just fall asleep. Imagine if you hadn't of met this boy.. He's changed your life in just a matter of days.


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16**

You wake up to find two arms holding you in an embrace. You were laying down _in_ your bed, (like under the blankets) and you recognised the bandaged arms that had hold of you. That's when you felt you back was up against his stomach, you could feel his calm breaths. Was he asleep? This was awkward, but comforting at the same time. Imagine if your parents saw you now? Haha, you'd never hear the end of it. Speaking of which, you wonder where they are, perhaps they've gone out or something? They weren't home when you got home. You shuffle around, getting out of Lee's grip without waking him up. You rub your eyes, what had happened? One minute you were laying on him, next you two were sleeping next to each other.. Hm, oh well, at least nothing major happened.. Right?  
>You look out your window, noticing the sunsetting. You quietly walk down stairs into the kitchen, noticing a small note on the empty dining table. You look at it closer, it had your name on it. You unfold it and read.<p>

_We're going out tonight, so you will have to get yourself something for dinner. -Mom._

Heh, the house to yourself again. Well, you _and_ Lee. You go back up into your room and watch him peacefully sleeping, hugging your pillow, probably thinking it was you. You smile at this. You think of what you could do, you didn't want to wake him up. You could cook dinner! So you go back downstairs and start cooking some food. You cooked some plain curry.

You serve the plates on the table and this time _you_ got the drink. Some water. You look up and notice Lee standing at the bottom of the stairway.  
>"Have a nice rest?" You ask.<br>"Yes, I did. Heh, you fell asleep on me and you didn't let go of me." Lee laughed, rubbing the back of his neck.  
>"Oh, I did that? Haha." You laugh.<br>"I guess I must've fell asleep as well." Lee laughs, then he notices the curry on the table. "Two plates?"  
>"Yeah, mom and dad are out for the night. So it's just us two." You reply.<br>"Hm.." Lee walks up to the curry and looks at it. "You wouldn't happen to have any chilli, would you?" Lee asks.  
>"Chilli? Yeah, I think so." You reply, searching through the cupboards. You finally find one. "Do you like spicy curry?" You ask.<br>"Yes, I do." Lee says, sitting down. You smile. You grate the chilli over his bowl, and you also add some spicy sauce. Lee looks very satisfied with it now. '_How can he eat that?'_

You two finish eating. And bored reckless.

You were both sitting on the lounge not looking at anything in particular. You sigh.  
>"Something wrong, Mari-chan?" Lee asks.<br>"Nothin', really just bored." You say.  
>"Hm.. Why don't we... Erm..." Lee tried to think of something.<br>"Do you like board games?" You ask, looking at the bookshelf which had some boxes on the bottom shelf.  
>"Uh, I'm not very good at them.." Lee replies.<br>"Heh, neither am I." you say.  
>"Very well, pick one out." Lee says. You nod and get off the couch and grab a game called 'shogi'. You had never played it before either. So you both learned together, it kept you both entertained for the night.<p>

Lee yawned. "What time is it?" He asks. You rub your eyes and look up at the clock mounted on the mantelpiece.  
>".. Like 1 in the morning." You say. Lee turns to face the clock.<br>"Oh, have I stayed too long?" Lee asks.  
>"Not at all." You reply.<br>"Alright, lets finish this game considering we're almost done." Lee says, turning his drowsy attention back to the game. You yawn and nod. You pick up a piece and move it. Lee does the same. Your turn. His turn. Your turn. Lee regrettably closed his eyes, and fell asleep as a result. He fell over from his sitting position snoring. You couldn't keep your eyes open either, you pretty much did the same thing.

You wake up the next morning with a blank mind. You get out of your bed and get dressed.  
>"Hm?.." You remembered about falling asleep in the lounge room. "Meh.." You go downstairs for breakfast. Your mom was already eating and reading the newspaper at the table. "Morning." You yawn. She looks up and smiles.<br>"Morning." She laughs.  
>"What? Do I have a cow lick?" You ask.<br>"No, it's just when your father and I got home you and your friend were asleep on the floor." She says.  
>"Oh, yeah! Where is he?" You ask.<br>"Sleeping peacefully on the couch." She replies. You look through the doorway and see him on the couch, sleeping. He looked cute when he slept. You smiled at him. "I can't believe you were actually playing Shogi." She laughs. You face her. _'No lectures on having a boy over at night? She must be sick or something..'_ You shake your head and smile.  
>"We probably looked pretty funny eh?" You ask, opening the fridge and getting out some milk.<br>"You did, actually." She says. "So, are you two going out yet?" The glass you were pouring fell over, in the sink luckily. "Oh!"  
>Your mom stands up to inspect the damage. You sigh and clean the milk up. ".. Yes." You admit. Your mom gets excited.<br>"Have you kissed yet?"  
>You choke on your phlegm. "Mom!"<br>"Hehe.. I just want to know!" She says.  
>"Shh.. You'll wake him up." You say. She giggles. Ugh, she's just like Sakura. You turn around and pour yourself another drink. "So you approve of him then?" You ask.<br>"Well, I think he's charming enough, though, I'm not sure about those monstrous eyebrows of his.."  
>"Don't be like that mom. It's the inside that counts." You say.<br>"Yeah, you're right." She nods. You bring your glass up and have a drink. "I'm just worried that my grandchildren might inherit them-" You choke on the milk. You firmly put the glass on the counter coughing.  
>"Stop talking about that stuff!" You scold.<br>"Oh, but it's going to happen." She says. You felt like slapping her.  
>"What's going to happen?" Lee asks, entering the kitchen, rubbing his eyes.<br>"Nothing!" You quickly reply before your mom could get a word in.  
>"Would you like some breakfast dear?" Your mom asks.<br>"Oh, yes please." Lee replies.  
>"Sure, Mari, get cooking." Your mom says, and walks out.<br>"Oh, you don't have to cook, I can." Lee suggests. Behind him, your mom gives you the 'no' signal, by waving her fingers in front of her throat.. She could tell a person's cooking just by looking at them.  
>"Heh.. No, it's fine Lee. I'll cook." You say, turning around. Your mom goes upstairs.<p>

After breakfast you and Lee head out to meet your squads for the first time in a while. You decide to split from him before Tamotsu sees you both.

"Morning boys." You say, strutting your way up to them.  
>"Tch, better late than never." Tamotsu says.<br>"M-morning, Mari." Yutaka says.  
>"Alright, now lets go do some training for the first time in a while." Madoka-sensei says. You had almost forgotten how boring training was with these three. But because you were boy-ish, you fit in with them easily enough.<p>

This continued for weeks, (except for Lee sleeping over) you and your squad did missions, you spent some days off training in the dojo with Lee.

Life was going well until this particular morning with 'the boys'. Tamotsu and Madoka-sense were sparring off, so you were left to spar with Yutaka, who, as always, seemed nervous.  
>"Something on your mind, Yutaka?" You ask.<br>"Erm, yes."  
>"What is it?"<br>"Mari, are you.. Going out with that boy?" Yutaka asks. You sigh, you had done so well keeping it a secret from these three. You nod.  
>"Yeah, but please don't tell them, I wont hear the end of it." You joke. Yutaka slowly nods and looks away.<br>"You alright?"  
>"It's nothing.. Excuse me, I need a moment." He says without looking back at you and walks off. Oh dear.. What could've made him so upset?<p> 


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17**

You decide to give Yutaka some time to.. Think about whatever it was he was thinking about. But when he didn't come back you got concerned.

"Oi, Mari, where's Yutaka been?" Tamotsu laughs, wiping the dripping sweat from his forehead.  
>"Dunno, but I'm gonna go look for him, wanna come?" You ask. Tamotsu nods in concern.<br>"He's been gone for quite some time too." You say."Lets go." Tamotsu says."Byakugan!" You and Tamotsu, and slowly following behind, Madoka-sensei, through the trees. Your byakugan wasn't the best but it could see within a 20-metre radius, which should be more than enough.  
>"See anything?" Tamotsu asks.<br>"Mm.. Not ye.. Yet." You reply, you could see a weak chakra figure about 8 metres away. "Wait.. This chakra is similar to Yutaka's, hurry!" You pick up the pace. Tamotsu was able to keep up with you, but Madoka wasn't. You jump down beside a river, you deactivate your byakugan to look for him properly. "It was about here." You say. You and Tamotsu look around. Something about the sound of the river irritated you. You turn around and see the slightest difference in the pattern of the flowing water. "Hm.. Byakugan!" You gasp. You saw the chakra, it was under the water, and it was really weak. You deactivate your byakugan and dive into the water.  
>"Mari!" Tamotsu calls. You open your eyes and see it.. Yutaka's body, his leg was caught in a log and his body was flowing around with the water. You go up for a breath and go back under. You attempt to lift the log but it was way heavier than you imagined. Your lips opened revealing your clenched teeth. Then the adrenaline kicked in. You lift the log, and releasing him. You had to release your breath, you quickly close your mouth before you inhale any more water, you swim up and grab his body before it gets carried off. You burst up from the water, inhaling as much air as you could, and you somehow manage to get his body up on the bank, but you got carried down a little further before you could get a proper grip on the bank. You pull yourself up with your numb arms. You choke on the water in your lungs and vomit it all out. Tamotsu rushes over to you and puts his hand on your back.<br>"Mari! Are you alright! Are you alive?" He panics.  
>"Give.. Me.. Some... Room.." You pant. He backs off. You get up and rush over to Yutaka's body. You didn't know much about medical stuff, but you could do resuscitation. You rest your head on his chest, but don't hear anything.. Not even the slightest beat. Tears roll from your eyes as you start panicking. "YUTAKA!" You scream. You start doing presses. You listen to his chest again.. Nothing. You clench his nose and breath into his mouth twice and do more presses. You listen to his chest again... Nothing..<br>"No.. No.. NO! YUTAKA! NO!" You begin crying on his chest. Tamotsu looks down with a melancholy expression. This cannot be happening.. It just can't.. Your wet hair sticks to your face as you lift it.  
>You howled from sadness. By now Madoka had caught up, out of breath, he could see Yutaka's body and us mourning. "No.." He muttered under his breath. He ran over and gently pushed you off him. Madoka had trained medical ninjutsu for a while. He did what he could.<p>

Madoka looked down and stopped his jutsu.. Tamotsu gives you a hug and you cry on his shoulder.  
>Madoka wraps Yutaka's body up in a white sheet, and he carries him back, while Tamotsu carries you on his back. He was trying not to bawl out. You didn't help, crying on his back, but you couldn't control yourself.<p>

In the village Tamotsu puts you down. And you both follow Madoka as he goes to Yutaka's house to break the disturbing news to his step mother. Yutaka's mother left his father when Yutaka was small, so he never knew her, and his father died a few years ago from a deadly illness, so he was left in the care of his caring step mother.

A knock on the door later.. His step mother looked confused at first, seeing his sad face and you and Tamotsu bawling.. Then she saw the white sheet, obviously with a body in it. She gasped and put her hands to her mouth in disbelief.  
>His funeral is going to be tomorrow. You go on your own to Tsunade's office to break the news.<br>"Tsunade-sama?" You ask, walking in. She looks up from her desk."Oh, Mari, can I help y-Mari! Did something happen?" Tsunade saw your depressed face and jumped to her feet. You wanted to cry, but you had to hold it in so you could talk.  
>"Tsunade-sama... Yutaka Kiyosawa... Is dead." You say, trying your hardest to hold back your outburst. It took a few seconds before your words made sense in Tsunade's ears. She stared blankly in disbelief.<br>"Wh.. What happened?" She inquired.  
>"I'm not sure exactly.. But he drowned."<br>"How could this happen?" Tsunade asks herself turning around and walking up to the window."... I fear.. It was something I said." You say.  
>"Hm?" Tsunade turns to you.<br>"He.. Asked me about my relationship.. So I told him that I'm going out with someone.. And he looked depressed about it, and he told me he needed a moment, but he didn't come back, and I got worried." You explain.  
>"I'll have some ANBU investigate incase he was attacked." Tsunade says. You bow to her.<br>"Thank you Lady Tsunade." You say.  
>On your way home Naruto walks past you. "Mari! How would you like to get some ramen?... Mari? Are you okay?"<br>You say nothing and keep walking. You didn't mean to be rude, but if you stopped to talk about it, you'd end up bawling out. Naruto watches you walk away.

"A job well done, Lee."  
>"Thank you Gai-sensei!" Lee replies. You don't take any notice of it. You had actually blocked yourself out from the world, so you didn't hear their voices.<br>You feel sudden hands rest on your shoulders. You look up and see a concerned Lee. You watch his mouth move as he speaks, but you couldn't hear anything. His grip on you tightens and he shakes you slightly. Tears fall from your eyes as you wrap your arms around him and rest your face in his firm shoulder. You still could hear nothing. You close your eyes, you were calm, but tears rolled down your cheeks, soaking into Lee's clothing. He embraces you. He was probably still trying to talk to you.  
>Next thing you know, you were in his arms, he was carrying you, bridal style. He carried you home. Your panicking parents allowed him inside and he laid you on the couch. You could hear the muffled voices of them.. The started to get clearer and and clearer until your hearing came back to normal.<p>

"-ou okay? Please, answer me!" Your mom panics. You come to, and wipe the tears from your face.  
>"Mom.. Yutaka's.. Dead." You sob. Your mom and Lee gasp. They didn't know what to say. Lee sits down beside you and wraps his arms around you, you cuddle up to him. You notice a wet patch on his shoulder, from your tears.<br>"What happened?" Lee asks.  
>"He.. Drowned.." You say.<br>"Drowned?"  
>"Tsunade-sama.. Is sending ANBU out just incase.." You explain.<p>

The rest of that evening was rather quiet and depressing. Your mom was in the kitchen stressing and your father was trying to comfort her. You were still on the couch, cuddling up to Lee. Your crying had ceased. '_Reiko... And now Yutaka... It's not fair!'_ You cringe. Then a knock on the door disturbs the silence. You look at Lee and decide to answer it, Lee, standing right beside you. It was Shizune.  
>"Mari, I believe you should read this." Shizune says, handing you a folded piece of paper.<br>"What is it?" You ask.  
>"The ANBU found it near the river.. It's addressed to you." She explains. You look down at it.<br>"Thanks.." You reply, and shut the door. You and Lee sit back on the couch. You unfold it and start reading.

_Mari,  
>This is sudden, I know. But, I've never been able to say it to your face. I'm in love with you. But I can tell I'm not worthy enough. I've tried to get you to acknowledge me, but without prevail. And now that you're going out with Rock Lee, a boy who will probably be more worthy and stronger than me, I must say I feel like my small opportunity has gone completely. I am writing this as my last goodbye. To you, Mari.<br>Lots of love - Yutaka Kiyosawa._

Your heart stopped briefly.


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18**

You were in your bed crying, Lee was sitting on your bed next to you, trying to comfort you. You cried yourself to sleep that night.

You open your eyes the next morning and go to sit up when you feel something on your legs. You look, Lee was half on the bed, sleeping. He must've fallen asleep too. You smile at his concern for you. You also wonder why your parents didn't drag him out either. Carefully, you get out of bed and gently lift his legs up off the floor and lay them on your bed, you pull the blankets up over him, because he felt cold.

You go downstairs, expecting to see your mother either cooking or eating breakfast as usual. But she wasn't. You don't care about it, she's probably sleeping on for a change. You go to the fridge and pour yourself a glass of milk. You stare at it on the counter. You begin to doze off in your own little world. A world full of memories of you and your squad, all the missions you did together, the fights, the training, the awkward conversations... Yutaka..

A small smile comes across your face.  
>"..i.. ri... Mari?" You snap out of your daze and turn around to your mom.<br>"Morning." You say. Your mom has a concerning look.  
>"Are you alright?" She asks. You nod.<br>"Fine." You turn around and drink your milk.

"I suppose I shall go wake Lee up now." You say.  
>"Yes, I don't mind him staying over, but as long as you two don't sleep together or do anything <em>intimate, <em>I have no problems." Your mom says, taking your empty plates to the sink. A slight blush comes across your face.  
>"M... Mom.. Why would I do something like that? I'm only 14.. I'm not that immature." You say.<br>"Oh, I suppose your right." She sighs.

You go upstairs into your room where Lee was still sleeping. Today was the funeral, you had lost all your sad emotions, rather, they were replaced with all the memories.  
>You open your closet and pull out a nice knee-length black dress. You turn back to Lee.. Still sleeping. <em>'I wonder if I can manage to change without him waking up.. Yeah, he seems pretty deep in his sleep.'<em> You quickly take your shirt off (your back to him), and your pants. You quickly put the dress on when.. You couldn't do the zipper up at the back.. This was awkward. Your whole back and shoulders were showing, and it was loose at the front too. You tried your hardest to do the zipper up, but it seemed stuck.

_~_~_~ [Lee's POV:] ~_~_~_

I wake up from the light shining in my face. I open my eyes and see Mari... I almost jump when I see her stark naked back. I gulp and the biggest flush comes across my face.

_~_~_~ [Your POV:] ~_~_~_

You had a feeling that Lee was awake.. Though, you heard nothing. Then the zipper gave you some luck, you zipped it up a bit, then it got stuck again. You let go of it and sigh. You heard the blankets shuffle and foot steps walk to you.  
>"Do you need some help?" Lee asks.<br>"Yeah.. Thanks." You reply. You then feel a warm hand touch your shoulder, your heart raced. Lee zipped the strapless dress up.  
>"That looks beautiful." Lee says. A small fire blazed up inside you. Your face became so hot, that a fire couldn't compare to it. You dared yourself to turn around. You stare at each other's red faces. You give Lee a hug and he embraces you. Once again, you felt safe in his embrace.<p>

You and Lee go downstairs together. Your mom smiles at you both.  
>"Wow Mari, that dress looks good on you. You should wear dresses more often." She says. You pull a straight face. You hate dresses because they make you feel exposed. And you often describe them as 'girly'. But this is a once in a lifetime event that made you wear one.<br>"Yeah, I wont be wearing a dress any other day for the rest of my life." You declare. Your mom giggles.  
>"Yeah you will. On your wedding day."<br>You and Lee both blush. Why is your mom doing this to you? It's like she's _trying _to get you two closer.

Your dad let Lee use one of his old formal suits. You had to admit, your Lee looked so hot in a tux. You all headed to the cemetery for the funeral.

The only part you cried was when they were burying the coffin. You cried on Lee's shoulder and he put his arm around you. You felt so bad, he committed suicide all because he felt like he couldn't go on in life. Because he felt like a failure.

On your way home Lee took the jacket off and put it over your shoulders. You didn't realise how cold it was going to be. You all sat in the lounge room, reminiscing all the memories you had of Yutaka.

Days passed, you spend most of them training extra hard at the dojo, by yourself. Your were by yourself because Lee was caught up in so many missions. Whereas your squad couldn't complete any until Tsunade found someone to replace Yutaka.  
>You were punching the punching bag at this particular moment, you were taking all your anger out on it. You hadn't realised that your knuckles were bleeding.<br>You gave it one last punch for the evening. You stood there, your hands were shaking and blood trickled down your fingers. You could feel the pain, it hurt, but you were used to pain. This pain is not enough to compare with the loss of yet, another friend. You stared blankly at the punching bag as it swayed, covered in your blood.

You decide to head home. You were wrapping your fists up in bandages as you walked home. You had just finished by the time you got home.  
>"Mari! Did you push yourself?" Your mom inquired. You shook your head.<br>"No, I just.. Punched it too hard." You say. Your mom huffs and folds her arms.  
>"Your turning into your old self, just after Reiko was killed you're behaving exactly the same, thinking your all alone and that you must push yourself to become stronger!" She scolds. She was right. You knew she was. You sigh in disappointment of yourself.<br>"It's not my fault Lee has been caught up in so many missions.." You mumble.  
>".. I'm sorry, but.. I didn't know how else to tell you." She says in a softer voice.<br>"No, it's alright. I understand." You say, and go up into your room.

"Was she like that the entire time I was away?"  
>"Yes." Your mom replies to your dad.<p>

In your room you stare out your window at the sunset.  
>You didn't have dinner that night, you went to bed early because you had realised you were oddly very tired. It was possibly the fatigue your mom was warning you about.<p>

The next morning you wake up rather early. You have your daily glass of milk and head out. The sun was still rising and it was rather cold at this hour. You were on your way to the dojo when you found Sakura sleeping on a bench. You run up to her.  
>"Sakura! Wake up!" You shake her and she wakes up, feeling groggy. "Sakura, what're you doing? You'll get sick sleeping out here."<br>"Oh.." She rubs her face. She must already be sick. You do the honor off carrying her to the hospital on your back.

The nurses treat her and you sat in her hospital room.  
>"Mari?" She moans.<br>"Yes?"  
>"Sasuke.. Sasuke left." She begins to sob.<br>"Left? What do you mean?" You ask.  
>"He left the village.. Last night." She says.<p>

Tsunade had sent out many ninjas to bring him back, but no luck. Sasuke had gone to Orochimaru for power. You knew he was out to seek revenge, and you could understand that. You actually had nothing against his motives.

You stood at the gates of Konoha. Just staring out, thinking if Sasuke could kill Itachi one day. Then you see Lee and his squad coming back from a mission. You began to get excited. Lee did too. He jumps down in front of you.  
>"Mari-chan!"<br>"Lee!"  
>You give each other a hug. "Sorry, Mari-chan, I've had so many missions, I've really wanted to spend time with you.."<br>"It's okay Lee." You say. "I've been training, so I bet I could beat you."  
>Lee smiles.<p> 


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter 19**

You and Lee go to the dojo after he reports back to Tsunade. Standing in your fighting stance, you both are eager to beat each other. You want to beat him for the sake of proving that you have improved, whereas he wants to beat you to prove that he is strong and capable of protecting you.

"Bring it on!" You call, hence, starting the match.  
>Lee still managed to avoid all those moves you had been training hard on.<br>"I must say, Mari, you have definitely improved since last time." Lee says.  
>"Thanks, but I still can't seem to hit you." You reply, trying very hard to land at least one punch.<br>"That is because I am too good." Lee laughs.  
>"Heh, we'll see." You manage to land a kick and knock him over.<br>"Wow, I didn't see that coming." He says, jumping straight back up onto his feet.

The match seemed to go on forever. It wasn't so much about skill now, it was more of who will become too exhausted first.. Which, was you. You were panting your lungs out, whilst Lee still looked like he could go on forever. You raise your hands in defeat.  
>"Okay okay! I admit, you win this time." You say, your knees gave in but Lee catches you.<br>"Shall I take you home?" He asks.  
>"Yeah." You pant. Lee picks you up bridal style and carries you home.<p>

"Lee.."  
>"Hm?"<br>"I love you."  
>Lee looks at you and smiles, and a slight blush comes across his face. "I love you too Mari-chan." Lee replies and puts you down.<br>"Why don't you come in?" You offer.  
>"Oh, sure."<br>You and Lee go inside. "Oh, hello Lee." Says your lively mother. Lee bows his head.  
>"Hello Mrs. Hyuuga." Lee replies. For some reason, your mom actually doesn't mind Lee coming over.<br>"What do you two have planned?"  
>"Oh, erm.. Nothing really." You reply.<br>"Just to sit around, I guess." Lee suggests.  
>"Very well. Have fun." Says your mom in a very jumpy tone. She was obviously excited about something, or she was just in a very happy mood for a change.<p>

So you and Lee 'chill' in your bedroom. Lee told you about all his missions and how 'simple' they were. You laughed at some of his facial expressions as he spoke.

"And so, once again, I, the Handsome Devil of the Leaf Village, kicked his butt. And then, we brought them to justice!"  
>You giggled at what he called himself. "Handsome devil eh?" You ask.<br>"Heh, that is my profound title! That is what I wish to be known as to my opponents." Lee declares.  
>"Then what about me?" You ask. "What is my title?" Lee looks at you affectionately and smiles.<br>"You, Mari-chan, I shall call the Beautiful Lotus of the Leaf Village!"  
>You blush and chuckle. "If that's how you see me." You reply.<br>"Oh? Do you not like it?" Lee asks.  
>"No.."<br>"Oh.. I am sorr-"  
>"I love it." You say, giving him a hug. Your hug made him fall over, you are both of your bed, so now you're laying on top of him. You both laugh, and he shuffles out from under you, and somehow, you're both laying beside each other on your single bed. You thought it would be funny to push him off, considering her was near the edge of it.. So you do.<p>

*THUD*

"Ow, hey." Lee stands up, rubbing his head. You lay there laughing. "I believe that is called a cheap shot."  
>"Sure is." You say, sitting up, thus, allowing him to sit down again.<p>

For the rest of that night you and Lee talked, catching up with each other on what has been happening lately. You also mention about Sasuke leaving the village, he was shocked at first but you explained how you can agree with his motives, so he agrees with you.

You bid your farewells to each other, and you lay down in your bed. All you could see was his charming face, his handsome smile. You have a nice dream that night.

The next morning you perform your usual routine, get up, get dressed, say good morning to your mom, glass of milk, breakfast, go out.  
>You hoped to meet up with Lee before you meet with Tamotsu and Madoka.. But no, you couldn't find him.<br>"Morning guys." You greet them.  
>"Morning." Madoka-sensei replies. Tamotsu just replies with a nod.<br>"Something wrong?" You ask.  
>"We're going to see Tsunade." Madoka-sensei explains. You and Tamotsu look at each other and follow him there.<br>"Ah, you three. I have found a fourth member for your squad, his name is Daimaru." Tsunade introduces a boy about your age, he looked.. Big.. Probably big boned rather than fat, but.. He had purple scruffy hair and blue eyes.  
>"Hiya!" He waves. You and Tamotsu look at each other then to him.<br>"Hi.." You reply.  
>"I bet we'll be the best team ever! Just you see!" Daimaru exclaims.<br>"Sure..." Tamotsu slowly nods, a little scared of this guy.  
>"Now I'm sure you will all get along nicely." Tsunade says. "Dismissed."<p>

You leave her office together. "So, Daimaru.. Are you from Konoha?" You ask.  
>"Nope. I'm originally from Iwagakure." Daimaru replies. "But, eh, we moved here 'cause it seemed better."<br>"Uh-huh.. So, you have any awesome powers?" You ask.  
>"Psh, what kind of ridiculous question is that?" Daimaru asks.<br>"Er.. Yeah righ-"  
>"I came first in the national eating contest! Now that takes talent!" He exclaims. You sweatdrop.<br>"I meant uh.. Oh never mind.." You roll your eyes.

"Right, Daimaru, since your new into our squad, we'll need to test your abilities." Madoka-sensei says as you enter the training grounds. Daimaru puts his hand up.  
>"Question!"<br>"Uh.. Yes?"  
>"Will there be food involved? I'm kinda hungry.." Daimaru says.<br>"... Uh.. Well, we don't eat when we train, we would expect you to have had breakfast, and we stop training just before lunch." Madoka-sensei explains.  
>"How can we train without food?" Daimaru asks, and before anyone could answer he spoke; "Food is what <em>makes<em>the training!"  
>"Erm, Daimaru, what exactly do you think we're training for?" Madoka-sensei asks.<br>"Psh, there's a food competition comin' up, we're trainin' for it, yeah?" You all look at each other. "Ehh.. Daimaru, we're ninja training.." You say.  
>"Hn?"<br>"Y'know, fighting and stuff." You explain.  
>"Why do you have weird eyes?" Daimaru asks. Your lip twitches.<br>"I.. I am part of the Hyuuga clan.. Every Hyuuga has these eyes." You explain.  
>"... It's weird." Daimaru says.<br>"So you don't have any ninja skills?" Madoka asks.  
>"Hm.. Thats like jutsu and stuff right?"<br>"Yes!"  
>"Nah, not really."<br>"THEN WHY ARE YOU IN OUR SQUAD!" Tamotsu inquires.  
>"I uh, I dunno. Tsanudo or whatever her name is put me in here."<br>"Ugh.."


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter 20  
><strong>

"Mom! Guess what!" You shout, parading in the door of your house.  
>"Home so early?" She asks.<br>"Guess what!"  
>"What?"<br>"We have a new team member, and he's a douche." You say.  
>"Oh... Really?"<br>"Yeah, I don't like him." You say.  
>"So.. Why aren't you training with them?" She asks.<br>"Oh, don't worry about it." You say, grinning. Your mom mutters something as you run upstairs.

**.:Flashback:.**

_"Well, don't worry Daimaru, Madoka-sensei will help you, right?" You say.  
>"Eh-"<br>"Thanks Madoka-sensei! You're da best!" Tamotsu exclaims.  
>"Yeah! Well, considering you're so good, you wont need our help, come on Tamotsu." You say, Tamotsu nods in full agreement and follows you, he waves back to them.<br>"See ya!" Tamotsu shouts back. You two run off back to the village._

_"So what're you gonna do?" Tamotsu asks.  
>"I dunno, probably go train or somethin'." You reply. "What about you?"<br>"Probably fight some hot girls an-"  
>"Okaay, well, see ya next time." You cut him off. He nods and you head off.<em>

**.:End Flashback:.**

In your room you smirk at that moment. You had to admit, whenever you and Tamotsu team up at something like that, nothing can stop you.

You try to keep yourself entertained for a while, but it wasn't working. So you leave your house in search of something to do.

You walk by the training grounds again, making sure not to be seen by Madoka-sensei or Daimaru, but they were gone, and instead, Lee's squad was there. Lee was versing Neji in a spar. You sit down and admire Lee's skills as you watch him. He was good, but so was Neji.  
>"That's it Lee!" Gai cheers.<br>"Hmph!" Neji faces away from Gai, and continues his attacks. You figured that no one was cheering for Neji so you approach them.  
>"Come on Neji! Don't give up!" You cheer. They all look at you. Neji smirks, he could see Lee was caught in a daze looking at you. Neji punches Lee and sends him flying.<br>Lee runs back at full speed, unexpectedly, and kicks Neji, and sends him flying.  
>"Mari, aren't you supposed to be cheering for me?" Lee asks.<br>"Meh, Gai already is, no one was cheering for Neji, so yeah." You say. Lee smiles and caresses your face.  
>"But I'm your boyfriend." He chuckles.<br>"Yeah, and Neji is part of my clan." You say, and laugh.  
>"Excellent job, Lee." Gai says, giving Lee a big rough whack on his back. He cringed at this.<br>"Ahh.. Ow..." Lee falls to the ground and Gai gives you a thumbs up pose and combined it with his 'charming' smile. You sweatdrop.  
>"So you must be Lee's girlfriend that he never stops talking about." Gai says.<br>"Uh.. Yeah." You reply.

You and Lee hang out for the rest of the day. It was getting late and you found yourselves at a place that Lee calls special. It was a field of flowers on a hill, the last of the sunrise looked so beautiful.

"Mari? Um.."  
>"What is it?" You ask, turning your head to him. He scratches his head and shuffles closer to you.<br>"I love you." He says, putting his arm around your waist. You rest your head on his shoulder.  
>"I love you more." You say.<br>"No, I believe I, love you more." Lee says.  
>"Mmhm.." You close your eyes, but open them when you feel Lee's fingers on your chin, they redirect your face so you were facing him. That's when you felt his warm lips gently touch yours. You closed your eyes to savor this first kiss. You felt a tongue run across your lips, you were shocked at first, but you slowly open your lips up to allow it in. It explored your mouth passionately, putting you in heaven. You wrap your arms around his neck to deepen the kiss further, Lee also puts his other arm around you and pulls you closer.<p>

Heaven, this is truly heaven.

You pull away from the kiss minutes later, gasping for air, Lee did the same.  
>".. Wow.. That was.."<br>"Nice.." Lee finishes your sentence. He rests his forehead on yours and stares into your glistening eyes. You look back into his orbs. You didn't want this moment to end anytime soon, but it had too, it was late.  
>"Lee?"<br>"Yes?" He replies, caressing your soft face.  
>"It's getting late." You say. Lee nods.<br>"Well, I should take you home, shouldn't I?" He smiles. You nod. Lee pecks you cheek before letting go of you.

He walks you home and you have a very pleasant dream that night.

So the years passed, you and Lee got promoted to Jonin, got married and had two adoring children. Twins. One was a boy, Heiro, and the other was a girl, Miko. There was one distinct difference between the two. Heiro had the Byakugan and had Lee's thick eyebrows, and Miko had Lee's dark-colored eyes and apart from that, looked like you. They both had their father's shiny black hair.

Miko grew up to be just like Lee, a taijutsu specialist, whereas Heiro became strong with his jutsu.

Life became great, the end.

I hope you liked the story :)


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